Images of Enslavement and the Slave Trade

Pawnship

The enslavement of Indigenous people in West Africa was known as pawnship. The practice of pawnship was a type of debt bondage in which an individual paid off a debt either through their own or a relative's labor.

Unlike the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which kidnapped and enslaved African people far from their homes and culture, those enslaved under pawnship remained in their own community. However, they were still restrained from escape.

"A Slaver's Canoe"

Captives were transported considerable distances down river (seen here, the Congo) by slave traders to be enslaved by Europeans.

African Captives Being Sent Into Enslavement

This engraving records part of Henry Morton Stanley's journeys through Africa. Stanley also hired porters from Tippu Tib, who was considered a "king" in the Zanzibar slave trade.

Indigenous Slave Traders Traveling From the Interior

Indigenous African slave traders from coastal regions would travel far into the interior to capture and enslave African people. They were generally well armed, having obtained guns from European merchants. As seen in this image, captives were yoked with a forked branch and fixed in place with an iron pin across the back of their necks. The slightest tug on the branch could choke the captive.

Cape Coast Castle, Gold Coast

The Europeans built several castles and forts, along the coast of West Africa, including Elmina and Cape Coast. These fortresses were the first permanent trading stations built by Europeans in Africa. For enslaved people, these fortresses were the final stop before being loaded onto slave trade ships and crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

A Barracoon

Captives could be held in barracoons (also called "slave sheds") for several months while awaiting the arrival of European merchants. Here, enslaved men, women, and children, are shown hobbled to roughly hewn logs (on left) or in stocks (on right), while a guard sits nearby (far right). Enslaved people would also be be fastened to the roof supports by ropes attached around their necks or interweaved into their hair.

Enslaved East African Woman

This image depicts an enslaved East African woman with a coffle rope around her neck.

Young African Boys Captured for Slave Trade

Children were perceived as valuable by enslavers because of the expectation that they would live longer.

Inspection of an Enslaved African Person

This engraving depicts an enslaved African man being inspected by a slave trader. It appeared in the detailed account of a former slave ship captain, Theodore Canot.

Testing an Enslaved African Person For Sickness

This engraving depicts four scenes of enslavement, including enslaved people at a public market, being examined by an enslaver, and wearing an iron wrist shackle. In the middle scene, an enslaver licks sweat from an enslaved man's chin to test for illness.

Diagram of the Slave Ship Brookes

This illustration shows deck plans and cross sections of the British slave ship Brookes.

Plans of the Slave Ship Brookes

This drawing of the slave ship Brookes shows the plan for packing 482 captive people onto the decks. This detailed cross sectional drawing was distributed by the Abolitionist Society in England as part of their campaign against the slave trade, and dates from 1789.

Enslaved People on the Deck of the Wildfire

This engraving from 1860 depicts enslaved African people on the deck of the Wildfire. The ship was captured by the U.S. Navy as it had broken U.S. law against the importation of enslaved people from overseas.

The image shows a separation of sexes: African men crowded onto a lower deck, African women on an upper deck at the back.

Forced Exercise on a Trans-Atlantic Slave Ship

Enforced exercise was common on trans-Atlantic slave ships. Captives would be forced to "dance" by crew members holding whips.