The transatlantic slave trade The main European nations who were involved in the transatlantic slave trade

were Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, Holland, Denmark and Sweden. From about 1730 to 1800 Liverpool was the most important port. the Atlantic to the Americas and the West Indies. The voyage took six to eight weeks. The transatlantic slave trade usually followed a triangular route. Traders left the European ports and went to the west coast of Africa. In exchange for goods like alcohol, cloth and guns, they bought African people and put them onto their ships. These future slaves were taken across

Conditions on board the slave ships were terrible. The men were kept together below deck. There wasnt much room so they were forced to lie down. The women and children were separated from the men. In good weather the slaves were brought on deck and forced to exercise. They were fed twice a day. A lot of people were sick and died of disease during the voyage. Those who died were thrown overboard. When they reached their destination, the Africans were sold as slaves. The traders used the money to buy cheap local products such as sugar, rum, coffee, tobacco, rice and cotton, which were then taken back to Europe and sold. The slave traders made a lot of money at every point of the triangle. Almost half of the slaves were taken to the Caribbean. Large numbers were also taken to Central and South America. About one in twenty were taken to the southern states of North America. They were forced by their owners to learn a new language and new customs and to work for nothing. A lot of slaves died or committed suicide. The slave trade was abolished in Britain in 1807. 2> Comprehension a> Complete the notes. The transatlantic slave trade European countries involved:........ Period of Liverpools importance:.......... The triangular trade route:........... Destinations of the slaves:......... b> Write questions for these answers. 1 How long was the voyage across the Atlantic? 1 Six to eight weeks. 2 Twice a day. 3 Sugar, rum, coffee and other local products. 4 in 1807.

c> Find words in the text which mean the same as the following. 1 journey across the sea 2 extremely bad 3 dMded 4 serious illness S killed themselves 6 stopped and made illegal

3) Listen Listen to Liz and Chris talking about a visit to the Museum of Slavery in Liverpool and answer the questions. 1 Why was Liz horrified? 2 What surprised Chris? 3 What was Liz shown at the end of their visit?

4) Over to you Answer the questions. What have been the results of the slave trade? Are there places in the world where slavery still exists? lf so, what can we do to stop it?