1 août 1518 - Authorization of Direct Slave Trade With America

Description:

In August 1518, King Charles I of Spain authorized the shipment of slaves directly from Africa to the Americas, eliminating the obligation for ships to pass through a European port first.

The edict dramatically increased the number of enslaved people brought to the American colonies, marking a new phase in the transatlantic slave trade. Whereas ships setting sail for the Americas took along as few as one and up to forty slaves before, the 1520s saw the emergence of ships used explicitly to transport slaves. The merchants organizing these transports did so solely according to economic imperatives, without regard for the slaves' wellbeing. Up to 300 slaves per ship spent the journey of several months chained below deck, languishing in utterly inhumane conditions. An estimated 15% died during the voyage due to the spread of disease through overcrowded holds, violence, abuse at the hands of the slavers, and suicide.


(Image: Diagram of an 18th century British Slave Ship)

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