History Chapter 25 Outline
Profound impact on African societies
Impact uneven: some societies spared, some societies profited Distorted African sex ratios, since two-thirds of exported slaves were males Encouraged polygamy and forced women to take on men's duties
End of the slave trade
Most European states abolished the slave trade in the early nineteenth century British naval squadrons helped to stop the trade The abolition of slavery followed slowly: 1833 in British colonies, 1848 in French colonies, 1865 in the United States, 1888 in Brazil
The Kingdom of Kongo
Relations with Portuguese beginning 1483 King Nzinga Mbemba (Alfonso I, r. 1506-1542) converts to Christianity Useful connection with Portuguese interests But zealous convert, attempts to convert population at large
Fall of Songhay to Moroccan army in 1591
Revolts of subject peoples brought the empire down A series of small, regional kingdoms and city-states emerged
Impact on African Regions
Rwanda, Bugunda, Masai, Turkana resist slave trade Benefit from distance from slave ports on western coast Other societies benefit from slave trade profit Asante, Dahomey, Oyo peoples
Social disruption
Sixteen million, able-bodied young Africans were enslaved between 1600 and 1800, two-thirds of them men. This disruption seriously impacted village and family life, especially in West Africa.
Slavery became increasingly costly
Slave revolts made slavery expensive and dangerous Decline of sugar price and rising costs of slaves in the late eighteenth century Manufacturing industries were more profitable; Africa became a market
The states of west Africa and east Africa
The Songhay empire was the dominant power of west Africa, replacing Mali Fall of Songhay to Moroccan army in 1591 Decline of Swahili city-states in east Africa
Human cargoes
The early slave trade on the Atlantic started by Portuguese in 1441 Triangular trade: all three legs of voyage profitable At every stage the slave trade was brutal
Social Effects of Slave trade
Total African population expands due to importation of American crops Yet millions of captured Africans removed from society, deplete regional populations Distorted sex ratios result 2/3 of slaves male, 14-35 years of age Encouraged polygamy, women acting in traditionally male roles
Social Change in Early Modern Africa
Trade with Europeans brings new goods to Africa New crops from Americas Manioc becomes staple bread flour Increased food supply boosts population growth despite slave trade
Decline of Swahili city-states in east Africa
Vasco da Gama forced the ruler of Kilwa to pay tribute, 1502 Massive Portuguese naval fleet subdued all the Swahili cities, 1505 Trade disrupted; Swahili declined
The impact of the slave trade in Africa
Volume of the Atlantic slave trade increased dramatically after 1600 Profound impact on African societies Politically disruptive
The Triangular Trade
1. European manufactured goods (especially firearms) sent to Africa 2. African slaves purchased and sent to Americas 3. Cash crops purchased in Americas and returned to Europe
The making of African-American cultural traditions
African and Creole languages African-American religions also combined elements from different cultures Other African-American cultural traditions: hybrid cuisine, weaving, pottery
New voices and ideas against slavery
American and French revolutions encouraged ideals of freedom and equality Olaudah Equiano was a freed slave whose autobiography became a best-seller
Triangular trade: all three legs of voyage profitable
European goods traded for African slaves Slaves traded in the Caribbean for sugar or molasses American produce traded in Europe
Foundations of the Slave Trade
African slavery dates to antiquity War captives, criminals, people expelled from clans Distinct from Asian, European slavery No private property, therefore wealth defined by human labor potential, not land Slaves often assimilated into owner's clan
The Middle Passage (Africa-Americas)
African slaves captured by raiding parties, force-marched to holding pens at coast Middle passage under horrific conditions 4-6 weeks Mortality initially high, often over 50%, eventually declined to 5% Total slave traffic, 15th-18th c.: 12 million Approximately 4 million die before arrival
African-American religions also combined elements from different cultures
African-American Christianity was a distinctive syncretic practice African rituals and beliefs: ritual drumming, animal sacrifice, magic, and sorcery
Christianity reached sub-Saharan Africa through Portuguese merchants
Also blended with traditional beliefs Antonian movement of Kongo, a syncretic cult, addressed to St. Anthony Charismatic Antonian leader, Dona Beatriz, executed for heresy, 1706
Volume of the Atlantic slave trade increased dramatically after 1600
At height--end of the eighteenth century--about one hundred thousand shipped per year Altogether about twelve million brought to Americas, another four million died en route
The early slave trade on the Atlantic started by Portuguese in 1441
By 1460 about five hundred slaves a year shipped to Portugal and Spain By fifteenth century African slaves shipped to sugar plantations on Atlantic islands Portuguese planters imported slaves to Brazil, 1530s Spanish settlers shipped African slaves to the Caribbean, Mexico, Peru, and Central America, 1510s and 1520s English colonists brought slaves to North America early seventeenth century
Regional Differences
Caribbean, South America: African population unable to maintain numbers through natural means Malaria, yellow fever Brutal working conditions, sanitation, nutrition Gender imbalance Constant importation of slaves North America: less disease, more normal sex ratio Slave families encouraged as prices rise in 18th century
Plantation societies
Cash crops introduced to fertile lands of Caribbean early fifteenth century Plantations racially divided: one hundred or more slaves with a few white supervisors Resistance to slavery widespread, though dangerous
Regional Kingdoms in South Africa
Chieftans develop trade with Swahili city-states 1300: Great Zimbabwe Dutch build Cape Town in 1652, increased involvement with southern African politics Encounter Khoikhoi people ("Hottentots") British colonies also develop
End of the Slave Trade
Denmark abolishes slave trade in 1803, followed by Great Britain (1807), United States (1808), France (1814), Netherlands (1817), Spain (1845) Possession of slaves remains legal Clandestine trade continues to 1867 Emancipation of slaves begins with British colonies (1833), then French (1848), U.S. (1865), Brazil (1888) Saudi Arabia and Angola continue to the 1960s
The States of West Africa and East Africa
Developed over 8th-16th centuries Kingdom of Ghana Not related to modern State of Ghana Major Gold Trader Mali Empire, 13th century Songhay Empire, 15th century Sunni Ali (r. 1464-1493) created effective army, navy Musket-bearing Moroccan army destroys Songhay forces, regional city-states exert local control
African-American Culture
Diversity of African cultures concentrated in slave population Blend of cultures African languages when numbers permit, otherwise European language adapted with African influences Creole languages Christianity adapted to incorporate African traditions
The Islamic Slave Trade
Dramatic expansion of slave trade with Arab traders New slaves acquired by raiding villages, selling on Swahili coast Arab traders depend on African infrastructure to maintain supply European demand on west coast causes demand to rise again
Kongo, powerful kingdom of central Africa after fourteenth century
Established diplomatic and commercial relations with Portugal, 1482 Kings of Kongo converted to Christianity sixteenth century; King Afonso
The Songhay empire was the dominant power of west Africa, replacing Mali
Expansion under Songhay emperor Sunni Ali after 1464 Elaborate administrative apparatus, powerful army, and imperial navy Muslim emperors ruled prosperous land, engaged in trans-Saharan trade
Cash crops introduced to fertile lands of Caribbean early fifteenth century
First Hispaniola, then Brazil and Mexico Important cash crops: sugar, tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton, coffee Plantations dependent on slave labo
Europeans in south Africa after the fifteenth century
First Portuguese, then Dutch mariners landed at Cape of Good Hope Dutch mariners built a trading post at Cape Town, 1652 Increasing Dutch colonists by 1700, drove away native Khoikhoi South Africa became a prosperous European colony in later centuries
Resistance to Slavery
Half-hearted work effort Sabotage Flight (Maroon populations) Revolts
Plantations racially divided: one hundred or more slaves with a few white supervisors
High death rates in the Caribbean and Brazil; continued importation of slaves Only about 5 percent of slaves to North America, where slave families more common
Political upheaval
In the Kongo, for example, the Portuguese undermined the authority of the king and even assassinated uncooperative rulers.
Economic exploitation
Indigenous economies were corrupted by the trade, exchanging slaves for manufactured goods such as guns and rum.
At every stage the slave trade was brutal
Individuals captured in violent raids Forced marched to the coast for transport The dreaded middle passage, where between 25 percent and 50 percent died
Slave Raiding in Kongo
Initial Portuguese attempts at slave raiding Soon discovered it is easier to trade weapons for slaves provided by African traders Dealt with several authorities besides Kongo Kongo kings appeal without success to slow, but not eliminate, slave trade Relations deteriorate, Portuguese attack Kongo and decapitate king in 1665 Improved slave market develops in the south
Politically disruptive
Introduced firearms; fostered conflict and violence between peoples Dahomey, on the "slave coast," grew powerful as a slave-raiding state
political effects on slave trade
Introduction of firearms increases violence of pre-existing conflicts More weapons, more slaves; more slaves, more weapons Dahomey people create army dedicated to slave trade
Islam and Christianity in early modern Africa
Islam popular in west Africa states and Swahili city-states of east Africa Christianity reached sub-Saharan Africa through Portuguese merchants
Islam popular in west Africa states and Swahili city-states of east Africa
Islamic university and 180 religious schools in Timbuktu in Mali Blended Islam with indigenous beliefs and customs, a syncretic Islam The Fulani, west African tribe, observed strict form of Islam, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Christianity reached sub-Saharan Africa
Social change in early modern Africa
Kinship and clans remained unchanged at the local level American food crops, for example, manioc, maize, peanuts, introduced after the sixteenth century Population growth in sub-Sahara: 35 million in 1500 to 60 million in 1800
Outright conquest and settlement
Kongo, Ndongo, and South Africa became European settlements that had Africans as the servant class. The Swahili city-states were seized and forced to pay tribute
The kingdoms of central Africa and south Africa
Kongo, powerful kingdom of central Africa after fourteenth century Slave raiding in Kongo Kingdom of Ndongo (modern Angola) attracted Portuguese slave traders Southern Africa dominated by regional kingdoms, for example, Great Zimbabwe Europeans in south Africa after the fifteenth century
Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa
Like African Islam, syncretic with African beliefs Antonian movement flourishes early 18th century Founded by Doña Beatriz, claims possession by St. Anthony of Padua (13th century Franciscan preacher, patron saint of Portugal) Promotes distinctly African Christianity Jesus a black man, Kongo the holy land, heaven for Africans Christian missionaries persuade King Pedro IV of Kongo to burn her at the stake
African Slaves in Plantation Societies
Most slaves in tropical and subtropical regions First plantation established in Hispaniola (Haiti, Dominican Republic) 1516 Later Mexico, Brazil, Caribbean and Americas Sugar major cash crop Later: tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton, coffee Plantations heavily dependent on slave labor Racial divisions of labor
The Fulani
Movement to impose strict adherence to Islamic norms in Africa 1680 begins military campaigns to enforce sharia in west Africa Considerable influence extends to south as well
The Kingdom of Ndongo (Angola)
Ndongo gains wealth and independence from Kongo by means of Portuguese slave trade But Portuguese influence resisted by Queen Nzinga (r. 1623-1663) Posed as male King, with male concubines in female dress attending her Nzinga establishes temporary alliance with Dutch in unsuccessful attempt to expel Portuguese Decline of Ndongo power after her death
The end of the slave trade and the abolition of slavery
New voices and ideas against slavery Slavery became increasingly costly End of the slave trade
The Abolition of Slavery
Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797), former slave authors best-selling autobiography Eloquent attacks on institution of slavery Economic costs of slavery increase Military expenses to prevent rebellions 18th century: price of sugar falls, price of slaves rises Wage labor becomes more efficient Wage-earners can spend income on manufactured goods
Slave Revolts
Only one successful revolt French-controlled St.-Domingue (1793) Renamed Haiti Elsewhere, revolts outgunned by Euro-American firepower
The Atlantic slave trade, 1500-1800
Place holder slide Map 26.2 - The Atlantic slave trade, 1500-1800 Page 778 Bentley 4e
This political evolution was disrupted after the fifteenth century, when Portuguese mariners reached the west coast of Africa. Direct European contact brought rapid and dramatic changes, which profoundly affected all sub-Saharan societies. Some dimensions of that change are:
Political upheaval Outright conquest and settlement Intertribal warfare Economic exploitation Social disruption
Swahili Decline in East Africa
Portuguese Vasco da Gama skirmishes with Africans on eastern coast, 1497-1498 1502 returns, forces Kilwa to pay tribute 1505 Portuguese gun ships dominate Swahili ports
The Early Slave Trade
Portuguese raid west African coast in 1441, take 12 men Met with stiff resistance African dealers ready to provide slaves 1460: 500 slaves per year sold to work as miners, porters, domestic servants in Spain and Portugal 1520: 2,000 per year to work in sugarcane plantations in the Americas
Intertribal warfare
Portuguese slave traders encouraged African slavers to make raids on their neighbors and to resist their own rulers. Coastal Dahomey profited from the slave trade, while inland peoples suffered
Slave raiding in Kongo
Portuguese traded textiles, weapons, and advisors for Kongolese gold, silver, ivory, and slaves Slave trade undermined authority of kings of Kongo Deteriorated relations led to war in 1665; Kongo king decapitated
Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa
Pre-Islamic paganism, ancestor worship Islam develops in commercial centers Timbuktu becomes major center of Islamic scholarship by 16th century African traditions and beliefs blended into Islam Gender relations, standards of female modesty
Kingdom of Ndongo (modern Angola) attracted Portuguese slave traders
Queen Nzinga led spirited resistance to Portuguese, 1623-1663 Nzinga able to block Portuguese advances but not expel them entirely By end of the seventeenth century, Ndondo was the Portuguese colony of Angola
Foundations of the slave trade
Slavery common in traditional Africa The Islamic slave trade well established throughout Africa
African and Creole languages
Slaves from many tribes; lacked a common language Developed creole languages, blending several African languages with the language of the slaveholde
Slavery common in traditional Africa
Slaves typically war captives, criminals, or outcasts Most slaves worked as cultivators, some as administrators or soldiers With all land held in common, slaves were a measure of power and wealth Slaves often assimilated into their masters' kinship groups, even earned freedom
Resistance to slavery widespread, though dangerous
Slow work, sabotage, and escape Slave revolts were rare and were brutally suppressed by plantation owners 1793: slaves in French colony of Saint-Domingue revolted, abolished slavery, and established the free state of Haiti
The Islamic slave trade well established throughout Africa
Ten million slaves may have been shipped out of Africa by Islamic slave trade between eighth and the eighteenth centuries Europeans used these existing networks and expanded the slave trade
