Can someone explain this?

[thekingsmen]

So who were the other millions of black folks from then?


How Many Slaves Landed in the U.S.? | The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross | PBS

Perhaps you, like me, were raised essentially to think of the slave experience primarily in terms of our black ancestors here in the United States. In other words, slavery was primarily about us, right, from Crispus Attucks and Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker and Richard Allen, all the way to Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass. Think of this as an instance of what we might think of as African-American exceptionalism. (In other words, if it’s in “the black Experience,” it’s got to be about black Americans.) Well, think again.

The most comprehensive analysis of shipping records over the course of the slave trade is the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, edited by professors David Eltis and David Richardson. (While the editors are careful to say that all of their figures are estimates, I believe that they are the best estimates that we have, the proverbial “gold standard” in the field of the study of the slave trade.) Between 1525 and 1866, in the entire history of the slave trade to the New World, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. 10.7 million survived the dreaded Middle Passage, disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America.

And how many of these 10.7 million Africans were shipped directly to North America? Only about 388,000. That’s right: a tiny percentage.


Diagram of a slave ship from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, 1790-1 (Public Domain)

 

[thekingsmen]

I guess not.

 

[benjamin]

tooo early 2 be thinkin dis hard my BROTHA!! u trying to kick some knowledge?

 

[MischievousMonkey]

What are you talking about OP? Your question is unclear

 

[ball15life]

Think of it in airplane terms

388,000 were on a non stop flight

All the others who were destined for America had layovers

 

[Jesus Is Lord]

I don’t believe for one second that “only” 388,000 slaves were dropped off here.

 

[thekingsmen]

What are you talking about OP? Your question is unclear

How so.... 300 plus years and only 300,000 only showed up. How did millions of black folk be missed in this equation?

 

[mbewane]

The number difference comes from the fact that quickly slavery in the US turned into a breeding factory instead of relying on shipments coming from Africa. Possibly because of longer distances (look how closer Brazil is from Africa), possibly because trade was dominated for a long time by the portuguese and spanish iirc, possibly because whites in america quickly understood that having slaves born in slavery directly was more efficient.

Edit : also these are official records. As in every "business", there was probably lots of stuff happening "off the books".

 

[Morethan1]

Quick story: I may have told this before

One time I was locked up with this dude and he was telling me how his grandmother had passed away. He told me she was a slave uo until the 1980's. I was like nikka do you realize what you're saying. He was like YES she was still a slave. Her daughter would go and try to get her but her mother would be like I've been here my whole life and I'm not leaving. I do my job for master and he makes sure I'm feed. He went into great detail of this shyt the whole time I was like

 

[MischievousMonkey]

How so.... 300 plus years and only 300,000 only showed up. How did millions of black folk be missed in this equation?

Again, what do you mean missed? Are you talking about the rest of the 10,7 millions ? Why do you consider them "missed"? I'm confused

 

[Dr. Acula]

Population growth is an exponential function which is usually a fast increasing number. Also take into account that before recent years (last 3 decades or so) big families were common.

So lets do this to solve the population growth rate over a 400 year period not taking into account that not every year has an equal amount of growth compared to another like I mentioned above about family sizes and taking the current value of population of non-hispanic blacks of 42 million:

42,000,000 = 388,000e^r(400) where r is the rate of growth we are solving for

42,000,000/388,000 = 108.247 = e^r(400)
ln(108.247) = ln(e^r400)
4.68= r400
4.68/400 = r = .0117*100 =1.17% growth rate per year.

This is obviously very low and probably not exactly right but good for a rough estimate and no where approaching a high rate. Average population growth rates are 1% to 2% which is where blacks fall within given this rough estimate

So no conspiracy, and it makes sense.

 

[thekingsmen]

Again, what do you mean missed? Are you talking about the rest of the 10,7 millions ? Why do you consider them "missed"? I'm confused

Millions of black folks were in the US by 1800s but it claims less. So that means they weren't from Africa.

 

[thekingsmen]

Population growth is an exponential function which is usually a fast increasing number. Also take into account that before recent years (last 3 decades or so) big families were common.

So lets do this to solve the population growth rate over a 400 year period not taking into account that not every year has an equal amount of growth compared to another like I mentioned above about family sizes and taking the current value of population of non-hispanic blacks of 42 million:

42,000,000 = 388,000e^r(400) where r is the rate of growth we are solving for

42,000,000/388,000 = 108.247 = e^r(400)
ln(108.247) = ln(e^r400)
4.68= r400
4.68/400 = r = .0117% growth rate per year.

This is obviously very low and probably not exactly right, and infact probably far off but good for a rough estimate and no where approaching a high rate. Average population growth rates are 1% to 2% which is probably where blacks are if not on the low end.

So no conspiracy, and it makes sense.

You thinking too much into it. 300 years and 1,000 people a year shows the equation. So if Millions of blacks were in this country that means they werent from Africa.

 

[Dr. Acula]

You thinking too much into it. 300 years and 1,000 people a year shows the equation. So if Millions of blacks were in this country that means they werent from Africa.

I'm not overthinking it, I'm answering your question. Also that equation isn't perfect by any means and doesn't account of deaths or changing rates per year. Just an estimate. It shows that given what you're asking the amount of black people in the United States is about where it should be not accounting for abnormal circumstances.

You must be doing something wrong if you are showing 1000 per year for 300 years. Its exponential not linear.

 

[thekingsmen]

I'm not overthinking it, I'm answering your question. Also that equation isn't perfect by any means and doesn't account of deaths or changing rates per year. Just an estimate. It shows that given what you're asking the amount of black people in the United States is about where it should be not accounting for abnormal circumstances.

You must be doing something wrong if you are showing 1000 per year for 300 years. Its exponential not linear.

If deaths were involved it would be less especially over months in the oceans. The only answer that makes sense is black folks were already here before settlements.