What was slavery like in African prior to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. How did slavery in Africa contribute to the slave trade?

Why is it important to have multiple perspectives in history?

Having multiple perspectives in history allows for a more all-encompassing view of a certain subject. Unfortunately, in certain subjects, like African history, history has been told through the European perspective and has often disregarded the African perspective. Welcoming room for outside perspectives not only checks biases, but also fills in the gaps where other information may have been missing. The more that differing perspectives are used when studying history, the more we uncover the nuances of history.

What was the economic deal between European and African countries?

Africa provided slaves to work in the new colonies and plantations in trade for manufactured goods from Europe. Then the Americas would ship resources to Europe to then be turned into said manufactured goods. This created a triangular trade in the Atlantic.

How many Africans were taken from Africa for the slave trade?

Some estimates put the number of slaves taken from Africa to about 9 million at the lowest figure to 15 million at the highest. Quantitative data is hard to determine, which has led to the approximate figures listed. While research has shown data from the 1700s and 1800s, there is less research to analyze during the first 250 years of the Atlantic slave trade.

What lasting effects are there in Africa?

The Trans-Atlantic slave trade victimized African civilians and hindered the development in Africa for centuries. The slaves were physically abused and insulted because they had no human rights. Millions of Africans were captured and transferred to work as laborers in the plantations in the Americas, causing a shortage of male labors remaining in Africa. The shortage of workforce obstructed the economic development in Africa, making Africa powerless and unable to combat European colonists or stop the colonization.

What are some popular misconceptions of the slave trade?

One controversy that is highly debated between scholars is the impact of the demography in Africa. Female slaves were typically unmarried due to the high figures of male Africans being taken, which led to low reproduction rates. Venereal disease introduced in the Atlantic slave trading centers also decimated the demography of Africa. Evidence has shown that had the Atlantic slave trade not occurred, the demography of Africa would have been double in the 1850s. However counterfactual analysis based on geography has begun to take root, with some believing that the geography of Africa was not able to support large populations due to drought, famine, and disease. There is, however, no evidence that supports this theory.