Black People in Latin America? Why? 拉丁美洲的黑奴

Inside a Slave Ship

People who only watch Hollywood movies might get the wrong idea that the United States is a horrible country that has had many, many slaves. Even today, according to Hollywood movies, Black people in the US have very sad lives. Reality is different. Study the map below (from UNESCO) for a better answer.

West African slaves mostly went from Africa to Brazil and the Caribbean.

Where did most slaves come from? Where did they go? What did they do there?

Slaves were part of the Triangular Trade:

1) West African slaves were taken to Brazil and the Caribbean. These slaves worked to grow crops such as sugar cane, tobacco and cotton.

2) The profits from the sale of these crops were used to buy manufactured goods in the USA and Europe.

3) Manufactured goods were used to buy more slaves in West Africa.

The Triangular Trade: Slaves --> Sugar etc. --> Goods

The slave trade continued until it was abolished in the 19th century (in most countries). Here are some more maps:

Have your ideas about slavery changed? Please leave comments below.

Illustrations are Creative Commons from Wikimedia or from UNESCO.