Tales from Tennessee and Beyond: The African Slave Trade

Well folks the semester is finally over and I am free until the end of August:) I will try to post more often. This post is a paper that I wrote for my history of Africa class this past semester. This is the first time this blog has dealt with a topic outside of the U.S. Hope you all enjoy.

The African Slave Trade took place between the years 1500-1800. It was a very horrific experience for many people. The slave trade promoted the idea of a social hierarchy, bought and sold individuals like they were livestock, broke up families, and also had many economic and social effects throughout the African continent. This paper will look at some of the economic and social effects that the slave trade had on Africa.

The African Slave Trade led to the idea of a social hierarchy in Africa. Enslaved Africans were thought of as being the lowest rung of society. It is ironic however that slaves and their master were frequently part of the same ethnic background. They were considered less fit then other Africans were. Slaves could not vote or own property. They were exposed to disease in the harsh living conditions that they were forced to live in. Many died while enslaved. Many slave owners took advantage of their slaves, by becoming romantically involved with them. When slaves resisted this, they were tortured, usually by beatings. Not just the slave owners competed for the affection of slaves, the slaves did as well. The equalization of sex ratios brought about changes in marriage patterns. Younger male slaves were competing against older male slaves for women. The social hierarchy structure proves that slaves indeed were the lowest members of society.

Slave owners on the other hand were at the top of the hierarchical scale. They got rich thanks to the slave trade. Tiputip, who lived in Zanzibar, is a notable example of a wealthy slave owner. According to Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr, Tiputip was one of the most famous and wealthiest slave traders on the African continent. He traded slaves all the way up and down the Swahili Coast. He used slaves to work in the clove fields. According to Gates Jr, Tiputip was rumored to have buried 40,000 slaves in the foundation of his mansion in Zanzibar.

It was not just slave traders that had slaves as servants. The African leisure class, which had formed thanks to the production and sale of agricultural and artisanal commodities, used slaves as servants in their homes. The slaves were also used to produce the agricultural and artisanal needs of their masters. The members of the leisure class were creating wealth, whereas the people that had come before them had been confiscating the wealth created by others. Slaves were still very much being exploited for the personal gain of other people. Having slaves was seen as a sign of wealth. The more slaves one had the wealthier that person was.

The main driving force behind the slave trade that is widely accepted by historians is that money was the main reason for the slave trade. Many Africans felt that they could become wealthy by buying and selling slaves. They felt as though they could acquire imported goods, such as textiles, social prestige within their community, family and political power, and a life of ease. The greed of these people led to one of the biggest crimes against humanity in modern history.

The African Slave Trade also affected Africa in the sense that it broke up families. Husbands were separated from their wives, and children from parents. Many individuals were captured during times of conflict, and then sold. Others were kidnapped during slave raids. Many potential slaves died during these raids. Some Africans were enslaved due to accusations of witchcraft, and some voluntarily gave up members of their families to be slaves. Most Africans that were accused of witchcraft were mature adults. They were attractive to slave traders because they would potentially become good, strong slaves. This was done as a survival strategy during famines or epidemics. Men were sold more frequently than women. The reason for this was that men could perform more grueling tasks then women could. Men worked in mines and on farms, while women worked in the home assisting with household duties like cooking, cleaning, and childcare. Women who were pregnant raised their children up to believe that they were inferior to other members of society. Some women were even used as “sex objects.” Children and young adults were often traded due to their age. The idea was that they would be more durable than their older counterparts were.

Many slaves were treated like livestock. They were forced to live in unpleasant living conditions. They were often exposed to disease. Many slaves did not know where their next meal would come from. Many slave owners gave them food based on how hard they had worked on that particular day. Many slaves, especially women, were given the privilege of living in the slave owner’s home. As was mentioned above many slave owners took advantage of these slave women sexually. If the slave women did not consent they were often beaten until they finally did consent. Some women however consented to and fell in love with their masters. Many slave women bore their masters children. There is also evidence that shows that slave women married their masters and became equal to them in terms of social status. Walter Rodney, a historian from West Africa said that slavery indigenously resulted in permanent workers. Rodney also said that slaves traded locally were treated like family, and that slavery became cruel when the Europeans got to Africa. Historians John Fage and John Thornton said that slaves were real slaves, and the treatment of slaves depended on the slave owner. These are just two examples of the theories about slave’s living conditions that historians have been able to form over the years.

Slaves were not treated like livestock just based on living conditions, but working conditions as well. Slaves took the place of animals quite frequently. Instead of using oxen or mules to do the plowing on the farms, slaves were used to do these jobs. The plows were strapped to the backs of the slaves and they were expected to pull the plow across the ground, like an animal. If slaves were not moving fast enough, then they were whipped, much like an animal would have been.

Slaves were treated like livestock due to their exposure to diseases, malnutrition, and drought. These factors were especially common in west central Africa. Slaves were thought of as perishable commodities. Slave traders thought that only the strong would survive. The so called “strong” slaves were sold at a higher price than the so called “weak” slaves were. Strong slaves were in higher demand due to their strength and resistance to disease.

Enslaved Africans ended up in all parts of Africa. One strategy that the slave traders practiced was the idea that they wanted slaves that were not familiar with the territory. They thought that if they got slaves that did not know the area then they would not run. This idea was formed as an insurance policy for the slave owners. They did not want to lose their investments Slaves were often tempted to run, but they knew that it would be a matter of time before they would be caught.

The cost of slaves varied over the years. The prime cost of African slaves in 1690 went from an average of three pounds sterling, to an average of twenty pounds sterling in 1740. Muskets and textiles became an important import that slave traders got in return for slaves that they sold to other countries. This was especially true along the Gold Coast. These imports helped to boost the economy of Africa.

Slaves were not often bought individually. They were frequently bought in lots or groups. Buyers used wide varieties of goods as payment, instead of just using cash. This was especially true on the Gold Coast. The price per slave was the total cost divided by the number of slaves included in the lot. Slaves were priced based on age, and sex. Slaves that were healthy and young were priced higher than slaves that were old and sick. Slaves were also classified based on their skills. Highly skilled slaves were sold at a higher price than slaves with little to no skills. Slave prices constantly fluctuated, and it was hard to keep track of slave prices. The goods that were traded constantly changed, which expanded the slave trade into parts of Africa where new products were available.

African gold played a major part in the slave trade. Miners needed cheap labor to go down into the mines and get the gold. The gold was then traded throughout the African continent for profit. Slaves did not profit from the gold industry however. They were often shipped from one mine to another, and when all the gold was mined the slaves were sold again. This practice continued until the end of the slave trade in 1800.

There were many types of slave trades in Africa, but there were four in particular that stand out. These trades were the European Slave Trade, the Trans-Saharan Slave trade, the Indian Ocean Slave trade, and the Red Sea Slave trade. These four trades had both economic and social effects on the African continent.

The European Slave trade had the biggest impact in Africa. Africans received foreign commodities from the Europeans in exchange for slaves. These foreign commodities had an impact on the African economy. One of the most notable products that were traded for slaves was weapons. Weapons were important to the Africans, because it allowed them to be like the Europeans. Weapons also were used by the Africans to defend themselves, their families, and their property in times of conflict.

The Trans-Saharan Slave trade involved the trade of around 9 million slaves. Like the European Slave trade, slaves traded in the Trans-Saharan trade were traded for weapons. These weapons were used in essentially the same ways that the weapons from the European trade were used.

The Red Sea Slave trade and the Indian Ocean Slave trade involved the trade of 4 million slaves. Weapons again were a major commodity that was used as a bargaining chip during these trades. The Red Sea trade took place in Egypt, and the Indian Ocean trade took place along the Swahili coast.

In all there were a total of 12 to 13 million slaves traded in each of these different trades. The Trans-Saharan trade and the Red Sea trade were local to Africa, and gave local slave traders the opportunity to trade slaves locally to other African countries. The other two slave trades allowed slave traders to trade and form alliances with other countries throughout the world. This would prove helpful to Africa in the sense that they now had allies to turn to in times of conflict.

Weapons were traded in all four slave trades. Historians are still undecided as to what types of weapons were traded, but most believe that guns were in fact the mystery weapon. The demand for guns led to the gun-slave cycle. The gun-slave cycle was the process of selling slaves to other foreign countries, and even local African nations, in exchange for guns. The gun-slave cycle affected Africa both economically and socially because guns could be resold, and guns led to a rise in violence across Africa.

The largest and most important slave ports were set up at Benin and the Kongo. These ports were not controlled by the Africans. Instead they were controlled by the British and the Portuguese. Foreign powers were now beginning to get involved in the slave trade, after seeing that there was money in it. These foreign countries were now taking the slave trade into their own hands. Africa was being forced to take a back seat.

By 1760 the slave trade begun to decline. Religion played a key role in the decline. Many countries were outlawing slavery. This led to the loss of many of the trading partners that Africa had been used to trading with. The rise of the Ottoman Empire and the Industrial Revolution also contributed to the decline of the slave trade. The rise of Christianity also contributed to the decline of the slave trade. By this time Africa was home to many Christian missionaries. These missionaries were strongly opposed to slavery and the slave trade. David Livingstone was one of the most outspoken critics of the slave trade. In his first travel narrative, he spoke out against the Central African Slave trade. They felt that it was anti-Christian. The Europeans were setting up colonies in Africa and they immediately wanted the slave trade abolished.

The African Slave trade was abolished through a series of treaties. Britain and other European powers signed and passed treaties to restrict the export of slaves. These nations set up naval patrols in order to police the export of slaves. This affected Africa economically in the sense that they were not getting the same amount of income that they would have been getting without the restrictions. Africa was also not getting products like minerals and textiles anymore. Africa was affected socially in the sense that families were no longer being broken up and sent to other parts of the world, and the African slave traders like Tiputip were losing money, as well as their place in society.

The slave trade officially ended in Africa when the British conquered many African countries. Slaves in these conquered countries were freed. The freed slaves took refuge under the British flag. The British recruited many freed slaves into their armies. These former slaves then helped the British conquer the rest of Africa. Most freed slaves wanted to settle down as peasants or artisans. They just wanted to live simple, quiet, independent lives.

The emancipation and eventual abolition of slavery came about gradually. There were many slave owners that would do anything to keep their slaves. The new colonial government in Africa was torn between abolishing slavery, and upholding it. Many slaves formed alliances and negotiated with their masters for their freedom. Most of these negotiations were successful. Many former slaves became tenants on their former master’s land. This defiantly was an improvement for the slaves in terms of living and working conditions, and even treatment.

Most colonial governments passed legislation that said no one could be born into slavery. Slave owners could no longer sell or punish slaves like they once were able to. This legislation was different across Africa. The slave trade had unofficially been abolished.

The African Slave trade was a horrible part of African history. It led to the idea of a social hierarchy, and also had many economic and social effects on the African continent. The slave trade also led to the rise of racism across Africa. The idea that people were more “fit” then others became a theme. Human beings were treated like livestock, and were considered to be nothing more than an investment. The African slave trade was very widespread as evidenced by the many different trading networks. The abolition of the slave trade took much work. It was not an issue that would just magically disappear. The slave trade affected the people of the time as well as people to this day. British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” was about the slave trade, and the conditions on a slave ship. The people of Africa were treated as second rate citizens throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was not until activists such as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Dubois began to lobby for African rights that the effects of the slave trade began to go away. The slave trade was truly a difficult time for the people of Africa, and was a dark period in their history. The effects of the slave trade are still being felt by many in some way today.