You have to realize that Africa,just like Europe,is not a country.It's a continent made made up of different countries and ethinc groups.So you have to understand that the "Africans" were not selling "their fellow countrymen" (for the most part,though some condemned criminals would get traded as an alternative to execution),"their brothers and sisters","their own people"etc.. When white traders asked the ethnic groups on the coast (like Ashanti,Oyo,Dahomey,Bakong,etc.they couldn't meet anyone in the interior) to to trade captives,they accepted because not only was it about money(as many people seem to believe that it was only about greed),but also a chance to get rid of their enemies and to expand their kingdoms,and the whites were giving them guns to capture people.There was also an arms race called the gunslave cycle where ethnic groups who were in trade with whites were scared that they would not be able to protect themselves from other trading ethnic groups if they didn't have enough guns(it was easier to attack another group with guns rather than spears) .That's something that white traders can be blamed for. Also,people in those days did not have a concept of race that they would have later on.(European countries at war didn't think they were fighting their own people either) And Africans,contrary to popular belief, were not the only race where people "sold their own race" to another race.White people in Europe sold other whites to Arab Abbasids. And Africans,contrary to popular belief,were not the only race to practice slavery,white slavers used other whites prior to using blacks.Also while "Africans sold Africans" These whites sold,bought,traded,transported and shipped and held whites,so they did alot more to their race than blacks did to theirs.Most people insist that Africa was the only continent to have slavery yet the word slave comes from slav,so obviously things weren't always so peachykeen with whites in Europe.Most "slavery" in Africa,just like Europe,was debt payments and prisoners of war.There really wasn't slavery comparable to the chattel plantation slavery that white slavers had in the Americas.Since whites were practicing slavery on other whites in Europe I really don't understand what point alot of people are making when they say "Africans had slavery in Africa before whites ever came there".Slavery is still in existance on all continents,including Europe,not just Africa(though it's nothing like American plantation slavery).
African Americans
The Atlantic slave trade only positively affected those in West African societies who were involved in the trade itself, otherwise it was a disaster. The people who kidnapped individuals to sell them into slavery benefited financially.
African slavery involved multiple parties, including African kingdoms and tribes that captured and sold individuals, European traders who facilitated the transatlantic slave trade, and American plantation owners who utilized enslaved labor for their agricultural economies. Enslaved Africans were often taken from different regions and ethnic groups, creating a complex system of exploitation and trade. The transatlantic slave trade was a significant aspect of the broader system of colonialism and economic exploitation that defined the era. The consequences of this history continue to impact societies today.
African slaves sold in the transatlantic slave trade were typically captured by rival African tribes or groups during conflicts or raids. These captors would then sell the enslaved individuals to European traders at coastal trading posts. Local leaders often participated in the trade for economic gain, exchanging captives for goods such as firearms, textiles, and alcohol. As a result, the slave trade was not solely driven by European demand but involved complex interactions among various African societies.
Before Portugal established trading posts along the West African coast, Europeans primarily acquired enslaved individuals through indirect means, such as purchasing them from local African kingdoms and traders. These groups often captured individuals during conflicts, raids, or through established slave systems within their societies. Additionally, Mediterranean and Atlantic trade routes facilitated the movement of enslaved people, allowing European merchants to engage in the transatlantic slave trade even before direct involvement in West Africa.
African Americans
In West African cultures, people were enslaved through war or for punishment, while in the Atlantic slave trade, anyone could be captured and enslaved. -Apex
In West African cultures, people were enslaved through war or for punishment, while in the Atlantic slave trade, anyone could be captured and enslaved. -Apex
The Atlantic slave trade only positively affected those in West African societies who were involved in the trade itself, otherwise it was a disaster. The people who kidnapped individuals to sell them into slavery benefited financially.
The most important element of African trade to Europeans was the transatlantic slave trade. European traders sought enslaved Africans to work on plantations in the Americas, which were crucial for producing cash crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton. This trade not only provided immense economic benefits to European powers but also had devastating social and cultural impacts on African societies. The demand for enslaved labor significantly shaped European colonial policies and interactions with Africa.
The winners of the triangle trade were primarily European nations, particularly those involved in maritime trade like Britain, France, and Portugal. They profited immensely from the exchange of goods, including enslaved Africans, sugar, and rum, which fueled their economies. Additionally, plantation owners in the Americas benefited from cheap labor, while the economic and social structures of many African societies were disrupted. However, the trade had devastating impacts on enslaved individuals and African communities.
Before 1700, the trade in enslaved persons from East Africa was significant but less extensive than the transatlantic slave trade. The East African slave trade primarily involved the export of enslaved individuals to the Middle East, India, and coastal regions of the Indian Ocean, with trade routes established by Arab and Swahili traders. Estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands of people were enslaved and transported, with notable centers in places like Zanzibar and Kilwa. This trade contributed to the social and economic structures in both the East African region and the destinations of the enslaved.
Some Africans were involved in the transatlantic slave trade as intermediaries who captured and enslaved people to sell to European slave traders. Additionally, some African rulers and merchants profited from the trade by selling enslaved individuals in exchange for goods and weapons.
The Africans who were sold in the Atlantic slave trade were primarily captured by rival African tribes or local leaders during inter-tribal conflicts, raids, or wars. These captors would often sell the enslaved individuals to European traders in exchange for goods such as firearms, alcohol, and textiles. The involvement of some African societies in the slave trade facilitated the large-scale capture and export of enslaved people to the Americas. This complex system was driven by various economic and social factors within both African and European contexts.
The African diaspora began with the transatlantic slave trade, where millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homelands and transported to the Americas to be enslaved. This mass movement of people spread African culture, traditions, and heritage across the world.
The major components of the African slave trade included the capture and enslavement of Africans by European traders, the transportation of enslaved individuals across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas, and the sale of enslaved Africans to work on plantations. This trade was fueled by economic profit, colonial expansion, and the exploitation of African labor.
African slaves were primarily sold to European slavers by various African leaders and traders, who captured individuals from rival tribes or communities through warfare, raids, or trade. These sellers often participated in the transatlantic slave trade, exchanging slaves for goods such as firearms, textiles, and alcohol. The involvement of local elites and traders facilitated the supply of enslaved people to European slavers who transported them across the Atlantic to the Americas. This complex trade network included various African kingdoms and societies, each with their own motivations and methods.