Things to Know About African Slavery

Slavery began in the 14th century in rich nations of Spain and Portugal, who began to capture Africans for enslavement in Europe. It was the largest long-distance coerced movement of people in history. In 1526, the first slave voyage was sailed from Africa to the Americas. The sexes were separated, kept Unclad, packed close together, and the men were chained for long periods.

From 1526 to 1867 known as the era of Atlantic slave trade, nearly 12.5 million slaves were shipped from Africa to the Americas, and only 10.7 million survived the journey. About 388,000 slaves were brought to the U.S., five million went to Brazil and one million went to Jamaica.