When you think of the African slave trade, do you realize that over 10 million people were removed from
that continent in less than 500 years? Some scholars believe it may be as large a number as 20 million.1
I would like to pose a few questions and attempt to answer them in this collection of writings and
opinions. The evidence and historical documents will show some of the economic and social impacts the
Slave Trade had on the African continent.
The first thing that needs to be established is just how many slaves were brought to the Americas. This
has proven to be quite difficult at best. There have been many scholars debate just this subject alone. As
you will see, many well known scholars have problems justifying their own estimations or guesses.
A quick study of Philip D. Curtin's work: From Guesses to Calculations: Shows his writings are a
compilation of bits-n-pieces of information from previously thought of unimportant publishing's. His sole
purpose was to try to determine a more accurate account of the number of people brought over from
what parts of Africa and to what final location. He goes on to make it clear his findings should not be
construed as being accurate or to be relied upon with any degree of certainty: but rather an accuracy
"It should also be understood that some estimates would not even reach that standard of accuracy. They
are given as the most probable figures at the present state of knowledge. These considerations have
made it convenient to round out most quantities to the nearest one hundred, including data taken from
By the following chart you can see clearly the late eighteenth century was the apex of the slave trade, as
described by Philip Curtin. You can clearly see that over 60% of all slaves delivered to the New World
were brought over between 1721-1820. Eighty per cent of the total were landed during a century and a
half, 1701-1850. 2 I suppose ...