Chapter 14: Page 686-699

While reading chapter fourteen I was very saddened and upset by what I read. The Atlantic slave trade really saddened me due to the fact that it actually happened. Any acts of slavery are saddening. 10.7 million Slaves were "deposited" into the Americas! I don't like to get into details about the horrific details of the middle passage to the Americas. It's horrific to begin even thinking about the trials the "slaves" had to go through. All throughout Africa to both North and South America! I can't believe actual human beings were capable of such cruelty! It's even sadder that it become a widespread human practice that still exist today! The slave trade slowed the growth in Africa when other countries were expanding. I thought it was a shame that African authorities took advantage of the slave trade and the middle passage. The slave trade also shaped African societies as a whole. I was shocked to discover that more men were shipped across the ocean than women! However, women felt the impact of the slave trade more and in various ways. It even allowed them to rise to power, accumulate wealth, and get more involved in politics. The European demand for slaves was the main cause for this tragedy. The Portuguese tried a few efforts of slave raiding along the African west coast in an effort to convince Europeans that their efforts were "unwise and unnecessary" for African societies. Many Europeans died going into Africa due to the fact that they had no immunities to the tropical disease that the Africans were adapted to. The African slave trade wasn't the only slave trade but it was one of the most historical and it sure did make an impact on the world and the global economy.