Modern world history: key events and themes

¶ … million Africans who were enslaved and transported to Europe and America between 15th and 19th which was part of the Atlantic trade. This trade was motivated by the plantations in America which had a strong demand for labor. The slave trade was eventually integrated into international trading system where North Americans and Europeans were exchanging merchandise for humans along Africa's western as well as the West Atlantic Oceans. There were various events that took place in the African slave trade between 1450 and 1850. This paper will look at these key events and show their importance.

Beginning of slave trade

The commencement of slave trade was seen to be when a ship that was sailing from Portugal came back with 12 Africans who were meant to be solved into slavery. This event marked the beginning of a very dark and brutal trade that would involve Africans being taken to do hard labor in the European and American Nations. This was a turning point in the world's history .Africans had the goods and services that the Europeans needed while Europeans had basic technology that was useful to Africans in their production processes. Therefore the events that led to the beginning of slave trade were very important to both Africans and Europeans since they both benefitted from the trade (Clarke, 2009).The Europeans got what they needed from Africa and the same time the Africans got what they wanted from Europeans. This came to be known as the best known and recorded trade it was also very tragic.

End of slave trade

The end of slave trade and abolition of slavery came into being due to economic, political and religious changes in American colonies and Europe. Key event took place between 1803 and 1850 that involved many countries seeing an end to slave trade. Denmark was the first to ban slave trade in 1803 which was to be followed by other countries. In 1804 Britain which was a nation considered to be a principal in slave trading followed suit to ban the Atlantic slave trade. United States passed a legislation to ban slave trade in 1807 that could be effective in the year that followed. There was a congress that was held in Vienna in 1815 which saw pressure from Britain to Spain, France, Portugal and Netherlands to agree the abolition of slave trade. In 1817 Britain and Spain signed a treaty that prohibited slave trade .British naval vessels had the permission of searching ships that were suspected to be slave ships. This change of heart towards slave trade was provoked by enlightenment, revolution of age, Christian revivalism as well as the beginning of industrial revolution (ABC News, 2013). African societies began the export of what they produced like palm oil, peanuts and cotton. There were also philosophers like jean-jacques from France and Adam smith who was an economist wrote on the slave trade. They clearly heighted its effects and explained why they should be abolished.

These events of abolition of slave trade were very important to the African societies. This is because it led to the eventual end of the African slave trade which was a very brutal trade.