The Coming of the Africans, A Look at Africa before Slavery, The TransAtlantic Slave Trade

The Coming of the Africans

The most important change that occurred as a result of the sugar revolution was
a need for a large amount of skilled labour that was not available in the West
Indies.
The first source of labour that Europeans experimented with was that of
the Amerindians. Under the Encomienda and Repartimiento systems,
many natives lost their lives. The genocide of these indigenous peoples
meant that Europeans were forced to seek alternative sources of labour.
They turned to the indentureship system. Poor whites were attracted to West
Indian plantations to perform manual labour. They too proved unsuccessful
as these indentured servants were unaccustomed to plantation life. As a
result, another source was necessary.

Why African Slavery?
 The main religion practised by Europeans during this period was
Christianity. Europeans were predominately Roman Catholics. The
British however were Anglicans. Europeans believed it was their God-given
duty to convert non-Christians. In addition, it was believed that
Africans were direct descendants of Ham (one of Noah’s sons) who was
condemned to a life of servitude. Europeans believed Africans/blacks
were made to be slaves. Bartholomew de Las Casas suggested the use
of African slaves.
 Slavery already existed in Africa. Persons were made slaves for debts,
punishment, crimes, marriages, etc., making it easy to access the large
numbers required. Europeans felt that they were not introducing
anything new into Africa so there was nothing wrong with what they
were doing.
 Sugar was now the major export commodity of the West Indies and
demanded a large labour force.
 Slavery was seen as a ‘’necessary evil’’ because for sugar cultivation
and manufacture to be profitable, a large, readily available, and cheap
labour supply was essential.
 The Amerindian population had declined so the remaining population
could not provide an adequate labour force.
 Africans were available in large numbers.
 Planters saw a cost advantage in the use of African slaves. An African
purchased was a slave for life and the children of slaves became the
properties of their masters.
 Africans were skilled agriculturists and accustomed to manual labour in
a tropical climate. The Caribbean and Africa had similar tropical
climates.
 Africa is closer to the Caribbean than Europe and the Trans-Atlantic
voyage was assisted by the trade winds blowing east to west.
 As the plantation system developed planters no longer wanted to give
prime sugar land as incentives to attract indentured servants and so
they began to rely more heavily on African slaves, since there was no
need to give them land.
A look at West African Societies before the arrival of the Europeans
Slavery existed in West Africa long before the Europeans arrived in 1515 for
debt, as punishment, and as sacrifice. West African societies were very
diverse, prosperous and consisting of states at various stages of
development. Africa maybe divided in two main regions:

The Savannah States (Ghana, Mali, Songhai)
These consisted of fertile grass land and was ideal for farming, agriculture
and cattle and goat rearing. Weaving, leather making, and crafting were also
popular means of earning a living.
Trade to the north was also very profitable and goods such as salt, gold,
ivory, kola nuts as well as European and Asian goods were the basis of this
trade which soon expanded to include slaves. This trade led to the
transformation of small settlements into large cities, along government and
powerful empires. Thus, there was a need for administrators, accountants,
law enforcers, tax collectors, and merchants.

Political Organization
During the 15c., when the trade in African slaves was in existence, the
Songhai Empire was ruling. Before the rise of this empire, the Mali Empire
had been the major Savannah Empire. The Mali had been taken over by
another thriving empire- Ghana Empire. These powerful empires had arisen
because of the revenue gained from the high taxes which the merchants
were required to pay the rulers for passing through their lands.
The Forest States (Oyo, Benin, Dahome, Asante)
The Forest States were increasing in status shortly before the arrival of the
Europeans. Slaves were taken almost fully from this region due to its
proximity to the coast. The people in these areas were generally agriculturist
planting yam, cassava, bananas and rearing small animals such as chickens,
pigs and fowls. The forest provided an abundance of fruits, river teemed with
fish and hunting was practiced. There were also potters, weavers, sculptors,
mines, and metal workers. Initially, these people practiced small scale
trading but later provided the north with Ebony, Leopard skin and Pepper.
Their wealth grew and industries thrived as a result of the slave trade.

Political Organization
By the time the slave trade began, there were no vast empires in the forest
region like those of the savannah. Each forest state had its own unique
pattern of government. The Yoruba people were one of the most organized in
the forest region. There were many towns which served as centres for trade.
In every town could be found farmers, priests and craftsmen. Each town was
a small kingdom ruled by a king or Obah who controlled the neighbouring
forest lands. The Edo people lived in the state of Benin. The rulers of Benin
called themselves Obas of Benin because they copied from the Yoruba
people. However, the Obas of Benin were more powerful than those of the
Yoruba. The state of Benin was situated at end of the busy trade roots
leading to the savannah town. The kings gained a lot of riches by taxing the
merchants. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Edo merchants sold
ivory, pepper and ebony. The merchants also sold cloth and jewellery.

Religion in West African Societies
Between AD 1000 and 1500, Islam spread from the Mediterranean into the
Sudanic belt, the region of Africa which lies to the south of the Sahara Desert
and to the empires of Sudan. Islam was carried into the forest zone to the
south where it competed with tribal religions and finally into conflict with
ancestor worship and each tribe was united into the common worship of
tribal gods who were often mythical. In Kingdoms such as Benin and Oyo, the
immediate ancestors of Lings were seen as gods. Each god had a specialized
function but all were responsible for fertility of their followers, fetishism, or
the harnessing of impersonal forces of the universe by incarnations and
charms was prevalent everywhere.

A comparison between the Forest and Savannah States
 Both were traders and agriculturists, but in the savannah a great
use of currency (cowry shell, gold) was employed.
 Hunting existed in both regions but was more popular in the
forest states.
 They both had organized systems of government.
 Trade was better developed in the savannah, building and
construction was more advanced and printing was practiced.
Areas from which slaves were taken
Slaves were taken mainly from West Africa. Slaves were taken from the
forest states (Oyo, Benin, Dahome, and Asante). They came from that
section of West Africa stretching from the Senegal River in the north to the
Congo River in the south. The various areas along the West African Coast
have been given different names, e.g. Grain Coast, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast,
and Slave Coast.
Methods used to acquire Slaves
 Slaves were sold at auction to the highest bidder.
 Slave scramble. In a slave scramble, Africans were divided into groups
for which set prices were fixed. At a signal, the planters rushed on
board to assess which groups offered the best quality for the least
money.
How slaves were captured and their journey to the coast
The slaves were captured in tribal wars or raids on villages. Boys and men
between the ages of sixteen and forty were sought especially. Old persons,
women and children were left behind or killed in the raids. Those captured
were marched to the coast. The slaves were assembled in coffles and were
often chained together. Speed was essential as a captain was waiting at the
coast for the slaves. Those who did not keep up were left behind or
punished.

Methods used to capture slaves
 Surprise attacks- The slave raiders often used the element of surprise.
Africans were ambushed and kidnapped as they worked or travelled
away from the community. Under such conditions they would have
been outnumbered with little chance of escaping or calling for help. As
people ran from their burning homes, many were grabbed and taken
away.
 The use of trickery- Sometimes slave hunters enticed people to go with
them promising to take them to exciting new places and to see many
wonderful things. Some Africans went willingly only to be captured and
forced to make a trip away from their home.
 Tribal differences- The animosity which often existed between the
tribes was exploited by the slave traders. Whereas Africans would’ve
been reluctant to sell a member of their own tribe, they usually
would’ve been more willing to sell a member of the enemies’ tribe.
Enemies captured during tribal warfare were therefore sold to the
Europeans.

Items used as a medium of exchange for slaves
The items used as a medium of exchange for slaves include knives, guns,
alcohol, beads, cloth, and silk.
What happened to the slaves as they arrived at the coast?
When the slaves arrived at the coast, slave quarters called barracoons were
ready to receive them. The initial examination of the slaves took place
outside the barracoons which were as dark dungeons. Usually the ship
surgeon examines them on the beach. They were stripped naked and placed
into two groups: the sound ones and the rejects. The rejected ones had
ailments. The sound ones were branded on the chest with a red hot iron,
signifying the country that they will be shipped to. The slave sales then
came. After, the slaves were placed on board ships waiting to be transported
to the New World.