Thread: Slave trade.

Who participated int the slave trade?

I assume you are thinking of (relatively) recent European/American slave trade?

Lots of people. African traders sold slaves to Europeans who shipped them to the Americas (and elsewhere) for sale to local estate owners, etc.

In history, just about everyone has been involved.

Oh, God, what a can of worms you have chosen to open up now. But okay, so be it. Slavery has been widely practiced throughout human history throughout the world and continues to this day, but generally when Westerners speak of "the slave trade" today, they mean chattel slavery of West African peoples and the trans-Atlantic shipment of these peoples- is this the phenomenon you wish to discuss?

One aspect of this period in history is relatively little known- that free Black persons in the Western Hemisphere were liable to be abducted and sold into slavery. The famous "Underground Railroad" ran both ways, though with obviously different operators according to direction.

Principle African Kingdoms participating in Atlantic Slave Trade: Jolof Empire, Dahomey Empire, Benin, Oyo, the Ashanti Confederation. There is a massive number of African Kingdoms that participated, but these tend to be considered the most active in the trade.

^ Having said this, and loosely termed, every African Kingdom participated in some or other form of slavery. Except perhaps the Zulu Empire.. I can't say for certain, but the Zulus were totalitarian, and a very militaristic society - the empire was forged out of warfare during the Mfecane period, after the dissolution of the Mthethwa Paramountcy. The Zulus killed every man of fighting-age that they came into conflict with. The younger men, the women, and the children were entirely absorbed into Zulu society. Meaning young men would be attached to an impi, and women and children would join society as members. So.. Slavery wasn't really a practice for them. Their power was solely consolidated through their superior military tactics, and their ability to terrify the ever-loving you-know-what out of those who opposed them. There are accounts of Kraals killing their chieftains and joining the Zulus, upon learning an inDuna and his impi were on their way. So it's unlikely slavery was an aspect of their society.

Back to AST.. Began with Portuguese contact, the most documented being between the Jolof and the Portuguese. Started out as a hostile relationship, grew into a mutually profitable one. After establishment of profitable plantations on Sao Tome and Principe, the Portuguese check in with the Pope to make sure they're still good with God - the Pope sanctions their involvement in slavery. Slave trade for cash crops had essentially been realised. Plantation profitability shifts to the western hemisphere, and then England, France, Netherlands, and Spain jumped in.. Exponentially increasing the AST market - and being the main contributors from Europe.

Just a brief run-down of the major players between Africa and Europe.