Between 1731-1775 how many enslaved people were taken to the Americas?
Data Scavenger Hunt
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above:
In 44 years between 1731-17775 how many enslave people were taken from Africa?
In 44 years between 1731-17775 how many enslave people were taken to what would later become the United States?
Overall, describe the size of the Atlantic Slave Trade between 1731-1775.
Over the period of the Atlantic Slave Trade, from approximately 1526 to 1867, some 12.5 million captured men, women, and children were put on ships in Africa, and 10.7 million arrived in the Americas. The time period of 1731-1775 is just a snapshot of the entire slave trade. Throughout the entire Atlantic Slave Trade, approximately how many people died on their journey to the Americas.
In 1775 the enslaved population in the American colonies reached half a million. In Virginia, the ratio of free colonists to enslaved people was nearly 1:1. In South Carolina it was approximately 1:2. How do you imagine this population of enslaved people influenced American life and politics at the time?
Big Brain Questions
Answer these questions by yourself using your brain and the links below:
List one thing the visual makes you wonder:
On July 4, 1776 (the year after the data from the visual above) decrying their lack of freedom the United States declared Independence from the British Empire. The Declaration of Independence stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Describe the level of freedom and equality for enslaved people in the United States in 1776.
An act of Congress passed in 1800 made it illegal for Americans to engage in the slave trade between nations, and gave U.S. authorities the right to seize slave ships which were caught transporting slaves and confiscate their cargo. Then the "Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves" took effect in 1808. However, a domestic or "coastwise" trade in slaves persisted between ports within the United States, as demonstrated by slave manifests and court records. On December 18, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment was adopted as part of the United States Constitution. The amendment officially abolished slavery, and immediately freed more than 100,000 enslaved people, from Kentucky to Delaware. Why did it take so long to outlaw the enslavement of people?
How does the story of slavery continue to impact America today?
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Investigate your family’s connection to the slave trade. Talk to family members, such as parents, grandparents, and cousins, to find out as much as you can about your family history, going back as many generations as possible. Share what you learn with your classmates.
Get Creative
William Faulkner wrote, “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” Make a creative response to Faulkner’s quote.
Learning Extension
Check out this PBS timeline: Slavery and the making of America.