For the week 6 assignment I decided to create a story map of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. I felt this is an important topic to research because it shows the significance of the origins of slavery in America. After researching all the different factors that went into the slave trade, I was able to get a better understanding of how profitable (and deadly) the trade had become. I felt an extreme discomfort when I learned about the conditions that the enslaved people had to endure while aboard the cargo ships on their way to America. I found that nearly 50% of all the enslaved people that were on this 8 week voyage had lost their lives due to malnourishment and harsh treatment. This assignment was somewhat difficult at first because I was not very familiar with the website. However, after a few slides I got a solid understanding of how to navigate it and add data. I was very fascinated when searching for the images because it showed me how many events in our history have been captured and recorded.
My favorite part about this assignment was collecting the data and researching for this particular topic. I was never really educated on this specific region of the Antebellum time period and it was interesting being able to learn the origins of this event. I think it is important to mention how impactful the slave trade was to each country. The slave trade had devastating effects in Africa. Economic incentives for warlords and tribes to engage in the slave trade promoted an atmosphere of lawlessness and violence. In America, the enslaved peoples left a long lasting impact that we still see today. Along with the major economic expansion during that time, the enslaved people also shared their culture with America, including music, food, and other customs. The Europeans were basically middle men in this process, exchanging goods for enslaved people and vice versa. They received an immense profit by doing this which unfortunately enhanced their nation’s capital and economy.
This is an excellent story map detailing the history of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. With a narrative that has such a strong relationship to geography, a story map was the right choice for representing this information. There are so many different lenses to view the trans-Atlantic trade; from commodity economics to socio-cultural factors. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the research process and finding information to include in the story map– it was very well done.