West Africa and the Role of Slavery

US History Summary Historical Themes (HST 200) West Africa and the Role of Slavery Regarding West Africa, which was connected to the spread and emergence of Islam, generalization is challenging. This region, which was crucial to the formation of the Atlantic World, spans from what is now Mauritania to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is home to savannas on both sides of the equator, rich rainforests along the equator, and much drier territory to the north. The majority of Africans were hunter-gatherers until around 600 CE. Herders kept sheep, goats, cattle, or camels in areas where there was little water for cultivation. Farmers farmed plantains, yams, and palm goods in the more forested area close to the equator. Sorghum, millet, and rice were produced in the savanna regions. Africans from Sub-Saharan Africa lacked marine experience. The Senegal, Gambia, Niger, Volta, and Congo rivers link the shore to the interior, although the majority of people resided inland. The majority of West Africans lived in tiny villages and associated with their extended family or clan, despite the presence of sizable commerce towns along these rivers. Men's possession of wives, children, and dependents—including slaves—was considered a show of riches, and polygyny—the practice of having many wives at once—was common. Relatives were relied upon to help in times of need, no matter how far away they lived, by providing food or security. Due to African society's emphasis on clans, "we" was equated with the village and family members, and "they" with everyone else. Hundreds of distinct dialects arose; now, there are still close to 500 dialects spoken in Nigeria. The main African empresses Islam rapidly expanded over North Africa after the prophet Muhammad passed away in 632 CE, bringing with it a political and judicial system in addition to a uniting religion. When Muslim troops conquered new territory, they imposed Islamic law and governance, forcing native chieftains to convert—often under threat of execution. The only people who could rule or trade were those who had converted to Islam. The Ghana Empire was the first significant empire to arise in West Africa (Figure 1.16). The sub-Saharan Soninke farmers made a fortune by taxing commerce that flowed through their region by 750. For example, Berber and Arab traders from west of the Nile Valley transported manufactured products, cloth, and weaponry into the interior, and they were supplied with gold by the Niger River basin. Massive mines in the Sahara provided the essential mineral to interior regions and the Mediterranean coast of Africa. By the year 900, the majority of this commerce was dominated by monotheistic Muslims, who had also won over a large number of African rulers. However, the bulk of people continued to follow their tribal animistic beliefs, imbuing mountains, rivers, and wind with life. The monarch of Ghana was able to keep price restrictions in place and maintain a powerful force because he had control over the supply of gold. But soon after, a new kingdom appeared. Under Sundiata Keita's direction, Mali had supplanted Ghana as the most powerful nation in West Africa by 1200 CE. Following Sundiata's reign, the court turned to Islam, and Muslim scribes were heavily involved in the political and administrative processes. Then, to the east of the Niger River, miners found enormous new gold reserves. By the fourteenth century, the empire had grown so rich that Mansu Musa, the monarch of Mali, gave away enough gold during his hajj, or pilgrimage, to seriously inflate prices in the places he passed through. The capital city of Timbuktu rose to prominence as a major Islamic hub for trade, education, and the slave trade. Under Sonni Ali's direction, the city of Gao became stronger in the east and quickly surpassed Mali in strength. Timbuktu asked Ali for help in driving the Tuaregs out from the north. But by 1500, Mali had been overtaken by the Tuareg empire of Songhay, whose weak and incompetent rulers predominated. SLAVERY'S PART Slavery as an institution is not a modern invention. Human bondage and slavery have been prevalent in most civilizations, and African empires were no exception (Figure 1.17). One tribe may be forced to beg another for assistance and give themselves up in a form of bondage in exchange due to starvation or fear of more powerful adversaries. Those who sought safety or relief from famine would work as servants for those who offered it, much as in the European serf system. Servitude is another method of paying off debt. These attendants usually became members of the extended tribal family. In the Nile Valley, there is some evidence of chattel slavery, when individuals are viewed as movable property that may be bought and sold. It seems that sub-Saharan Africans were transported to Rome via a slave trade route that crossed the Sahara, carrying slaves from all over the world. Arab slave trade before the expansion of Islam over North Africa. It involved exchanging enslaved persons for products from the Mediterranean. Later on, Muslims increased the scope of this trade by enslaving Europeans as well as Africans, particularly those from Spain, Sicily, and Italy. Male prisoners were used as slave labor to construct coastal defenses and work as galley workers. The harem now contained women. With Portugal's discovery of Africa's west coast in quest of a trading route to the east, the great European slave trade had its start. Africans were being transported as slaves by 1444 to labor on the sugar plantations of the Madeira Islands, which are located off the coast of present-day Morocco. Then, as European colonies in the New World required an ever-increasing number of laborers for the vast plantations cultivating tobacco, sugar, and later rice and cotton, the slave trade flourished. The institution of slavery in the New World took on a new dimension when the mercantilist economy required a steady, recognizable, and abundant labor pool. Due to the lucrative slave trade, Africans who were enslaved were both widely available and easily recognized by their skin tone. This resulted in a system of racial slavery in the New World that was unheard of in previous bondage systems. The Spanish first attempted to compel Native Americans to cultivate their crops. The majority of the gentlemen who arrived in the New World as Spanish and Portuguese immigrants did not engage in manual work. Bernal Díaz del Castillo observed that their goal was not just to worship God but also to amass wealth. Unfortunately, the indigenous peoples proved to be an unreliable supply of labor since enslaved natives often became ill or died from sickness, overwork, or brutal treatment. Seeing that the native population was on the verge of extinction, the renowned defender of the Native peoples, Bartolomé de Las Casas, proposed the Spanish send Black (and White) laborers to the Indies, even if he subsequently regretted his thoughts. These laborers were more resilient, and after fifty years, something changed: Race became a significant component in the system of slavery due to the profitability of the African slave trade, the seemingly endless pool of possible slaves, the Catholic Church's opposition to the enslavement of Christians, and other factors. Indentured slaves were first used to cover labor shortages in the English colonies along the Atlantic coast, where family farms were the norm. However, labor-intensive products like rice, indigo, and tobacco became more popular in the South, and soon there weren't enough indentured workers to match the demand. It was necessary to have a more steady labor supply because these laborers only served for three to seven years before being released. Therefore, in the Americas, slavery became permanent, and children born to enslaved people remained slaves. In contrast, in Africa, permanent, hereditary slavery was unknown, and offspring of those tied in servitude to the tribe were typically free and intermarried with their captors. This evolution, along with the idea that slavery is a race, permanently altered the system and created its own identity in the New World. Synopsis 1.1 The Americas Before the Europeans arrived, the Americas saw the emergence and collapse of great civilizations. The sophisticated Pueblo communities of North America, such as the Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon, as well as the metropolis of Cahokia, had peaked and were now mainly only in recollections. The Eastern Woodland peoples were prospering, but as the number of English, French, and Dutch invaders rose, they were quickly overrun. South America and Mesoamerica have likewise seen the emergence and collapse of civilizations. The previously powerful Mayan population centers were mostly abandoned. But the Aztecs in Mexico City reached the height of their power in 1492. Tenochtitlan, an island metropolis that was equivalent to any major European city until Cortés destroyed it, was the focus of an ever-expanding commercial center that subjugated the neighboring tribes and demanded tribute in the form of commodities for consumption as well as victims for sacrifice. Using well-trained soldiers and roadways, the Incas connected one of the greatest empires in history in Peru, farther south. They fashioned and cut stone to create Machu Picchu high in the Andes without using a wheel, and then they left the city for unidentified reasons. Thus, the Europeans faced peoples that varied greatly in terms of their cultures, customs, and numbers, depending on which region of the New World they explored. 1.2 Europe at the Cusp of Transformation A consequence of the Crusades was the increased exposure of a greater segment of western Europe to the products of the East. Following that, a thriving commerce emerged along a number of routes known as the Silk Road to meet the demand for these goods. The journey over this road was hazardous and costly due to brigandes and avaricious intermediaries. Having recovered from the Black Death, Europe was eager to expand commerce and connection with the rest of the globe by 1492, as they searched for new goods and sources of income. Leading the lead in trade with the East were Venice and Genoa. The allure of financial gain drove adventurers to look for alternative trade routes to the Spice Islands and cut off Muslim intermediaries.Portugal made an attempt to send ships around the African continent, led by Prince Henry the Navigator. Columbus was commissioned by Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile to find a way to travel west and arrive in the East. Strong proponents of the Catholic Church, they looked for ways to make money while also attempting to spread Christianity throughout the East and any newly discovered regions. 1.3 Slavery's Impact on West Africa Similar to the Americas, Africa had seen the rise and fall of several cultures before to 1492, but the continent did not establish a centralized power system. The many types of slavery that African peoples engaged in were considerably different from the racial slavery that finally emerged in the New World. Arabs and Berbers controlled the slave trade out of Africa after the spread of Islam and before the Portuguese arrived on the West African coast in 1444. This trade grew when European nations started to occupy the New World. Slavery in the Americas took on a new shape due to a labor shortage: it was racial in nature and the position of slave was hereditary and permanent.