The expansion of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how the Transatlantic Slave Trade grew and destabilised West African kingdoms.
Key learning points
- Conflicts between local kingdoms would lead to prisoners of war who would be sold as enslaved people.
- The European involvement in the Slave trade led to more conflicts in West Africa leading to more enslaved people.
- Some kingdoms, like the kingdom of Benin, refused to trade with Europeans but would struggle as other kingdoms profited.
- Some African kingdoms, like the Allada kingdom, became reliant on trade with the Europeans for power and wealth.
- The nature of the trade in enslaved people changed, it was no longer just prisoners of war sold into slavery.
Keywords
Enslaved people - enslaved people are people who have been forced to work without pay, lose their freedom and become the property of another person
Oba - Oba is the word used in the Benin Empire to describe the figure who was both ruler and spiritual leader
Prisoners of war - prisoners of war are people captured by the opposing side during a war
Common misconception
All African kingdoms and rulers willingly participated in the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Some kingdoms did cooperate, but many - like the Kingdom of Benin - also tried to resist by refusing to trade enslaved people.
Teacher tip
When explaining how more trade, led to more enslaved people, this is a good point to emphasise that an important change in the expansion of the slave trade was the increase in kidnapping and not necessarily an increase in willing African traders.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which European nation was the first to arrive on the West African coast in the 1400s and began to trade enslaved people from the 1500s?
Q2.Which two of the following nations had started building large empires in the Americas in the 1500s?
Q3.When the Portuguese first arrived in West Africa, they intended to trade their goods for ...
Q4.Which two of the following are names given for the three-point trade between Europe, West Africa and the Americas, that involved the trade of enslaved people?
Q5.How did the kingdom of Benin continue to thrive, despite their leaders refusing to sell their people to the European merchants to enslave?
Q6.When enslaved people were taken from West Africa by European merchants, which continent were they taken to?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.By 1600, how many people had the Portuguese sold into slavery in the Americas?
Q2.Which one of the following is the best defintion of an 'Oba'?
Q3.Match each word to the correct definition
Q4.Which one of the following explains why the Transatlantic Slave Trade continued to expand even though the Obas of Benin refused to trade enslaved people?
Q5.Who took control of Elmina castle in 1637?
Q6.Which two of the following best explains why kingdoms in West Africa suffered as a result of competing European merchants?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The expansion of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The expansion of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Transatlantic Slavery: how were West African societies impacted? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.