15th century – 18th century
Lower Guinea coast, Europe, and the Americas
The trans-Atlantic trade linking Lower Guinea with Europe and the Americas developed after Portuguese ships anchored off the coast of modern Ghana in 1471. French, English, Dutch, and later Danish traders followed. Slave shipments to the West Indies began in 1518, while a Dutch ship carried West African slaves to Jamestown in 1619. By the mid-seventeenth century, a triangular commercial system connected the Guinea coast, Europe, and the Americas.
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The Story
Trans-Atlantic commerce in Lower Guinea began with the arrival of Portuguese ships off the coast of modern Ghana in 1471. French, English, and Dutch traders followed during the sixteenth century, and Danish participation expanded in the eighteenth century. The European presence transformed existing coastal exchanges by connecting them to overseas markets and shipping networks.
The trade soon extended from the Guinea coast to the Americas. In 1518, a Spanish ship transported the first recorded cargo of slaves to the West Indies described in the extract. In 1619, a Dutch frigate discharged the first cargo of West African slaves at Jamestown in Virginia, marking the establishment of a direct connection with the North American mainland.
By the middle of the seventeenth century, the triangular trade linking the Guinea coast, Europe, and the Americas was fully established. Commodities varied by sector: Akan communities west of the Ankobra supplied ivory, while Akan and Ga groups between the Ankobra and Volta supplied mainly gold. From the mid-seventeenth century, slave exports expanded rapidly, and by 1710 they exceeded gold exports from the Gold Coast.
15th century – 18th century
Lower Guinea coast, Europe, and the Americas
The trans-Atlantic trade linking Lower Guinea with Europe and the Americas developed after Portuguese ships anchored off the coast of modern Ghana in 1471. French, English, Dutch, and later Danish traders followed. Slave shipments to the West Indies began in 1518, while a Dutch ship carried West African slaves to Jamestown in 1619. By the mid-seventeenth century, a triangular commercial system connected the Guinea coast, Europe, and the Americas.
Continue exploring
The Story
Trans-Atlantic commerce in Lower Guinea began with the arrival of Portuguese ships off the coast of modern Ghana in 1471. French, English, and Dutch traders followed during the sixteenth century, and Danish participation expanded in the eighteenth century. The European presence transformed existing coastal exchanges by connecting them to overseas markets and shipping networks.
The trade soon extended from the Guinea coast to the Americas. In 1518, a Spanish ship transported the first recorded cargo of slaves to the West Indies described in the extract. In 1619, a Dutch frigate discharged the first cargo of West African slaves at Jamestown in Virginia, marking the establishment of a direct connection with the North American mainland.
By the middle of the seventeenth century, the triangular trade linking the Guinea coast, Europe, and the Americas was fully established. Commodities varied by sector: Akan communities west of the Ankobra supplied ivory, while Akan and Ga groups between the Ankobra and Volta supplied mainly gold. From the mid-seventeenth century, slave exports expanded rapidly, and by 1710 they exceeded gold exports from the Gold Coast.