Where in Africa did the slaves in Guyana come from?
Afro-Guyanese people are generally descended from the enslaved people brought to Guyana from the coast of West Africa to work on sugar plantations during the era of the Atlantic slave trade.
Where were slaves taken from in Africa?
The majority of all people enslaved in the New World came from West Central Africa. Before 1519, all Africans carried into the Atlantic disembarked at Old World ports, mainly Europe and the offshore Atlantic islands.
Which ethnic group brought slaves to Guyana?
Most workers were of West African, East Indian, Chinese and Portuguese descent, and had been brought to the country under a system of forced or indentured labor. After World War I, new economic interest groups began to clash with the Combined Court.
Where did the African slave trade began?
The transatlantic slave trade began during the 15th century when Portugal, and subsequently other European kingdoms, were finally able to expand overseas and reach Africa. The Portuguese first began to kidnap people from the west coast of Africa and to take those they enslaved back to Europe.
What items did European traders trade for African slaves?
There they were exchanged for iron, guns, gunpowder, mirrors, knives, cloth, and beads brought by boat from Europe. When Europeans arrived along the West African coast, slavery already existed on the continent.
How did Europe get slaves from Africa?
According to John K. Thornton, Europeans usually bought enslaved people who were captured in endemic warfare between African states. Some Africans had made a business out of capturing Africans from neighboring ethnic groups or war captives and selling them.
Why were guns and cloth sent from Europe to Africa?
African rulers exchanged captives for guns. Rulers were in competition with each other, so the acquisition of guns provided an edge over their rivals. This increased their drive to capture and sell slaves. The new availability of guns was a direct consequence of the slave trade.
What was shipped from Africa to America?
It was the second of three stages of the so-called triangular trade, in which arms, textiles, and wine were shipped from Europe to Africa, slaves from Africa to the Americas, and sugar and coffee from the Americas to Europe.
What weapons were used to punish slaves?
Slaves were punished by whipping, shackling, hanging, beating, burning, mutilation, branding, rape, and imprisonment.
What happens if slaves disobeyed?
Mistreatment and punishment of slaves Slaves who disobeyed or resisted even in small ways were violently punished – in Antigua it was not a crime to kill a slave until 1723. The punishments handed out to slaves varied in severity. Captured runaways could be hanged or maimed.