The Atlantic slave trade forced enslaved Africans across the ocean to the Americas. European traders, some African rulers, and plantation owners all took part. The people who were taken paid the cost.
The idea
The trade ran for centuries. European ships brought goods such as guns, cloth and metalware to the West African coast. Some African rulers and merchants sold captives, often people taken in war. The ships then carried those people to the Americas, where they were forced to work on plantations. Sugar, cotton and tobacco went on to Europe. Historians call this movement of people and goods the triangular trade. The sea voyage itself is the Middle Passage. Ships were crowded, and many people died on the way.
Effects on West Africa belong in the answer, not only the voyage. Communities lost people, especially the young. Wars were fought to capture more people. Families were broken up. Say who gained and who suffered, because a one sided sentence is not an explanation. Traders and plantation owners gained. The enslaved, and the societies they were taken from, suffered. Do not write as if every African ruler refused the trade, or as if every ruler joined it. Say what the question asks, with an example you can defend.
The History tips guide sets out the papers, how to build a point with an example, and the mistakes that cost marks. WASSCE History tips
What earns the marks
Name the three legs if you are asked for the triangular trade: goods to Africa, captives to the Americas, plantation produce to Europe. "It was bad" earns nothing. A cause and an effect are different marks. Guns in exchange for captives is one point. Loss of population is another. Keep the Middle Passage as the voyage, not as the whole trade. Do not invent a figure for the number of people taken.
Practice questions
These are practice questions in the style of the paper, with a model answer and a mark scheme. They are not a promise of what your paper will ask.
1Question 1
4 marks
(a) What was the Middle Passage? (2 marks)
(b) State two conditions captives faced on that voyage. (2 marks)
Model answer
(a) It was the sea voyage that carried enslaved Africans from West Africa to the Americas.
(b) The ships were overcrowded, and many people died from disease, hunger or thirst.
Mark scheme
The sea voyage from Africa to the Americas1 mark
It carried enslaved people1 mark
One condition, such as crowding, disease, hunger or chains1 mark
A second condition, different from the first1 mark
2Question 2
6 marks
Explain the triangular trade. Name what moved on each leg of the route. (6 marks)
Model answer
European goods such as guns, cloth and metal went to the West African coast. Captives were then shipped to the Americas. Sugar, cotton and other plantation crops went from the Americas to Europe.
Mark scheme
European goods to West Africa2 marks
Captives from Africa to the Americas2 marks
Plantation produce from the Americas to Europe2 marks
3Question 3
4 marks
State two effects of the Atlantic slave trade on West African societies. (4 marks)
Model answer
Many young people were taken, so communities lost part of their population. Wars increased, because captives could be sold.
Mark scheme
One effect, such as loss of population, insecurity, or broken families2 marks
A second effect, different from the first2 marks
Practise History with Anna
More questions on this topic are inside glearn, marked as you answer, with the reason written out. The first ones need no account.
Three linked journeys. European goods went to West Africa, captives were shipped to the Americas, and plantation crops went to Europe. The Middle Passage is the sea voyage with the captives, not the whole triangle.
How do I answer an effects question on this topic?+
Give two effects that are not the same point twice. Loss of people and an increase in wars are two effects. Say who suffered. Do not invent a number for how many people were taken. All WASSCE History past questions