Describe the Atlantic slave trade and its effects

The use of African slave labor was not new. The Spanish and Portuguese had been using African slaves since the 16th century. However, the Atlantic slave trade of the 18th century was a new kind of slavery and was on a scale much greater than ever before.

The implications of the slave trade included:

Effects of the trade on African societies in West Africa

The slave sellers and European ‘factories’ on the West African coast

The development of slave-based states and economies

The destruction of societies

The development of foreign colonies

Leaders of African societies took roles in continuing the trade

Jacob's Staff was invented in the 13th century as an aid in finding heights and distances. It was not until the 15th century that the German scientist Johannes Mueller popularized the instrument.

This was the age when the Europeans began exploring beyond the Mediterranean Sea. They needed better navigation tools so they could more accurately determine their latitude and longitude, and not run into too many rocks.

Jacob's Staff was shaped like a cross-bow. It had a main rod with a scale, and several cross pieces which were used to determine angles, either from the horizontal looking up (the "angle of elevation"), or perhaps between 2 objects.