Methods of Capture and the Triangular Trade System
Europeans used several brutal methods to capture Africans for slavery. They relied on military superiority and surprise attacks on small, unprotected villages. As European involvement became more dangerous due to disease and resistance, they increasingly used middlemen - wealthy African warlords who carried out the kidnapping for valuable European goods.
The triangular trade worked in three stages that created massive profits. Stage 1 saw textiles, rum, and manufactured goods shipped from Europe to Africa. Stage 2, known as the middle passage, transported enslaved people from Africa to the Americas under horrific conditions. Stage 3 brought sugar, cotton, and tobacco back to Europe, where merchants could avoid taxes and maximise profits.
Holding factories on the African coast served as prison-like warehouses for enslaved people. Surgeons examined captives, dividing them into categories based on age and health. Those deemed "fit" were branded on the chest before being prepared for sale through brutal scrubbing and having wounds filled with hot tar to hide injuries.
Key Insight: The triangular trade wasn't just about slavery - it was a complete economic system that generated wealth through interconnected markets across three continents.
