Britain was the most dominant between 16 and it is estimated that Britain transported 3.1 million Africans (of whom 2.7 million arrived) to the British colonies in the Caribbean, North and South America and to other countries.Īnti-slavery campaigners lobbied for twenty years to end the trade and the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed in Britain on 25 March 1807.

Together with Portugal, the two countries accounted for about 70% of all Africans transported to the Americas. There was also two-way trade between Europe and Africa, Europe and the Americas and between Africa and the Americas.īritain was one of the most successful slave-trading countries. The goods were then transported to Europe. The Africans were sold as slaves to work on plantations and as domestics. The ships then travelled across the Atlantic to the American colonies where the Africans were sold for sugar, tobacco, cotton and other produce. On the first leg, merchants exported goods to Africa in return for enslaved Africans, gold, ivory and spices. The transatlantic slave trade was essentially a triangular route from Europe to Africa, to the Americas and back to Europe. A brief introduction to the slave trade and its abolition For background history, please see suggested further reading and the Education section of The National Archives’ website. This is not a history of the transatlantic slave trade. The guide covers records created throughout the trade, from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The wide range of documents, inherited from various government departments, illustrates the extent and impact of the trade at the time. Use this guide for an overview of records held at The National Archives that shed light on the slave trade, slavery and unfree labour in the British Caribbean and North American colonies. The guide is by no means exhaustive, but introduces and illustrates the diverse range of documents related to the transatlantic slave trade held here. Records of ex-slaves and liberated Africans Campaign for abolition of the slave trade Records relating to transportation of slaves and goods An overview of the records at The National Archives

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