The Triangular Trade and Middle Passage
The Triangular Trade linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas in a deadly trade network: European goods were exchanged for enslaved Africans, who endured the horrific Middle Passage across the Atlantic (with roughly 20% dying en route), and were sold in the Americas whose slave-grown products returned to Europe. In Pengi Social Studies (Grade 7), Chapter 10: The Early Modern World, students examine the devastating human cost of the Atlantic slave trade.
Key Concepts
A complex trading network known as the Triangular Trade linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas in a profitable but deadly cycle. On the first leg of the journey, European merchants shipped manufactured goods like guns and cloth to Africa, where they were exchanged for enslaved people.
The second and most notorious leg was the Middle Passage , the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Enslaved Africans were packed tightly into the dark, unsanitary holds of ships for weeks. Roughly 20% died from disease or abuse before reaching the Americas. On the final leg, the survivors were sold, and the ships returned to Europe loaded with slave grown products like sugar, tobacco, and cotton.
Common Questions
What was the Triangular Trade?
The Triangular Trade was a three-leg trading network: Europeans traded manufactured goods for enslaved Africans; enslaved people were transported across the Atlantic (Middle Passage); and slave-produced goods (sugar, tobacco, cotton) were sent to Europe.
What was the Middle Passage?
The Middle Passage was the horrific second leg of the Triangular Trade—the ocean voyage transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas. People were packed in appalling conditions, and roughly 20% died from disease or abuse before arrival.
How did the Triangular Trade connect Europe, Africa, and the Americas?
The Triangular Trade created economic links between three continents: European manufactured goods funded the purchase of enslaved Africans; enslaved labor produced American agricultural goods; and those goods enriched European merchants.
Where is the Triangular Trade covered in Grade 7 social studies?
The Triangular Trade and Middle Passage are covered in Pengi Social Studies (Grade 7), Chapter 10: The Early Modern World.