The African Slave Trade to the Americas

Slave Trade

Portuguese merchants captured & traded slaves for horses on West African coast

1440

Diego Gomes negotiated treaties with African coastal rulers

1456

official sanction of the slave trade

Portuguese slaving fort at Elmina begins - then captured by Dutch

1481 - 1600

Primary fort on Guinea coast trades hands from Danes to English to Dutch

1652 - 1664

North American Colonies began banning inerracial marriage

1660 - 1670

Charles II grants a charter to begin English slave trade

1663

Percentage of Africans in North American colonies goes from 5% to 20%

1671 - 1700

7,000 slaves in North America mainland - 65,000 slaves in English West Indies

1680

England becomes the foremost slave-trading nation in Europe

1790