Atlantic Networks in the Trade in Enslaved People Between Paraíba, Itamaracá, and Pernambuco (1700-1750)

Abstract

In Brazil, the first half of the 18th century witnessed significant economic changes. On the one hand, the discovery of gold mines triggered the growth of Atlantic slave trading; on the other, the Northern Captaincies faced a crisis in sugar production. Within that context, the Atlantic slave trade presented an opportunity for profit to masters and traders of the northern captaincies of both Paraíba and Itamaracá. They began forming alliances and engaging in conflicts with merchants from Pernambuco, the primary hub for the disembarkation of African slaves in the region, to gain access to that market. This paper seeks to explore and demonstrate the dynamics of the Atlantic slave trade to Brazil’s Northern Captaincies, focusing on alliances and conflicts between local merchants and those from Pernambuco, shedding light on an underexplored subject in the historiography of Brazilian slavery.