Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on Societies Essay Example

and European traders.

The impacts of the slave trade on the societies of the West and West-central Africa may be categorized as Social, Political, and EconomicfootnoteRef:4. First, Slave trade increased insecurity, conflicts and high levels of distrust between different African groups. For example, individuals living in the central part of Africa believed that those living on the west coast of Africa were capturing and selling their African colleague to the whites in order to meet the demands of the Europeans (KLEIN, 2010 p.47). The conflicts between Africans and their fellow African traders created a better opportunity for the Europeans to demand more slaves from the African Traders. Most of the people had to be shaved clean as a symbol of being a war warrior and which had a high demand in the slave exchangefootnoteRef:5. To the west, Slave trade lead to the integration of the African culture which later resulted to the development of civil rights movement in their European lands (LAW, 2008 p.34). 4: Klein helps in exploring Africa and the events that were taking place during the Atlantic Slave trade. 5: According to Law 2008, Slave trade robbed Africa some of the healthy and strongest men.

Slave trade also led to cultural diversity in the African region. Due to the slave trade, many of the African tribes were mixed with the European language which led to the formation of new languages

such as the Swahili language. For example, most of the slaves traded were from the Bantu-speaking regions of the West-Central side of AfricafootnoteRef:6. Most of them were from Congo, Angola, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Senegambia where languages such as Kimbundu and Kikongo were very common. Integration of these cultures and languages brought in new ways of living, cultures, arts and dances among the Africans living in west-central Africa (STILWELL, 2014 p. 23). 6: This gives the hint of the specific regions where slaves were captured. For example, Angola and Congo were the main target areas where strong and energetic men were captured.

Furthermore, the trade resulted to cultural erasure. Basically, the trade led to the loss of cultural beliefs and practices among the Africans in the West-Central Africa due to the migration of some of the people. Slave trade increased wars and ambush, lobbying and conflicts of some individuals in the targeted areas which led to many people migrating to different regions within the African Continent (KLEIN, 2010 p.52). This meant that the West-Central Africa part was left with no people to spread the African norms, values and culture in the region. As a result, many people began admiring the white culture than the African Culture. For example, most people believed that being white was meant being beautifulfootnoteRef:7. Others went ahead to curl their Afros with white manufactured beauty care products in order to attain the White assumed beauty. 7: During this time, most increased conflicts forced most of the African living in the west-central parts to migrate to save parts. This contributed to cultural erosion where some individual migrated to safe zones.

Despite the fact

that Slave trade resulted to cultural erasure in some parts of the West-Central Africa, it also resulted in cultural diversity and hybridization. For example, due to increased ambush and conflicts during settlement raids, most people migrated from one zone to the safe zones in west-central Africa. This led to the diversification of culture, norms and values between the African tribes (LAW, 2008 p.37). For example, tribes living in Congo migrated to areas such as Angola where they married and remarried leading to the growth of other smaller grouping such as the Kongo (HILTON, 1985 p.29)footnoteRef:8. 8: Migration was a common thing during the slave trade and this contributed to massive cultural diversification between the tribes living in west-central Africa.

Critically thinking, the slave trade also resulted in massive loss of life of individual living in the west and west-central Africa. To the Africans in the West African region, hunger and famine were one of the causes of death during the era. Most the Africans spent much of their timing hiding from individuals who raided and captured young and healthy Africans for sale. This denied them the time and freedom they had to conduct agriculture on their farms.
The trans-Atlantic Slave contributed to both the expansion and instability of political situation in West-Africa. For example, slave trade led to the distribution of ammunition in most parts of Central and West Africa which worked in destabilizing political and military supremacy in most African tribes (RODNEY, 1988 p.18)footnoteRef:9. For instance, most of the western coast areas were highly militarized for the sake of exportation of human laborers. Basically, slave trade undermined the legitimacy of different political institutions by empowering the

interest of the business class (ruling class) against the common peoplefootnoteRef:10. On the other hand, the Western European countries consolidated their power and domestic identity through the exploitation of the slave trade system (RODNEY, 1988 p.22). As a matter of fact, political alliances in West Africa were betrayed by the African leaders (Traditional leaders) and the slave traders (Business class). These alliances made it possible for the rulers to establish authority and power over their counterpartsfootnoteRef:11. 9: Guns exchanged for slaves were used in destabilizing the peace and security that West Africa experienced before the slave trade began. 10: It influenced conflicts between the normal grassroots people and the ruling class 11: Most African leaders were brought off by the Europeans and used them to access the healthiest young men for slave exchange.

For example, the Kongo Ngola area of the Central African region was in the process of initiating a kingdom. In their mind, they thought that the trade would stimulate development of rules and strengths in the new kingdom, but increase wars between the slave raiders and communities ruined the development of the political institutionsfootnoteRef:12. For example, the Kongo state was thought to be founded on the local aristocracies that laid the foundation for appointment and creation of regional governments in the area (MANNING, 1990 p.67). But the arrival of slave traders influenced the local leaders to adopt Christianity which eventually resulted to them aborting their kingdom needs. For example, the initial Mwene Kongo leader Nzinga a Nkuwu or commonly known as King Joao adopted Catholicism where he learned how to read and write and began working with the king from the Portugal sidefootnoteRef:13.

Following this agreement, the Kongo State was placed under control of the Europeans and which exposed the Africans under control and exploitation of the Africans. 12: Many people went for hide outs which negatively influenced growth and development of political institutions such as villages or kingdoms. 13: The whites placed the African leaders under control which negatively affected their ability to make decisions.

In the West, slave trade worked in the creation of monarchies that were wholly supported by the overseas trade in West Africa. Some of these monarchies included King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. These monarchies wholly benefitted from the profits acquired from the slave trade. Furthermore, the leaders in the monarchies acted as the controllers of the regions where slaves would be fetched and distributed in various parts of America. Apart from creation of large armies and navies, the slave trade also led to the introduction of tax traders and overseas empires such as the Dutch (New Netherlands) and French which is currently known as France. In America, the slave trade contributed to the formation of male-dominated structures that politically influenced the policies and rules passed by the colonial masters.
From an economic perspective, the slave trade robbed off Africa, its most productive part of its population. Slave raiders focused on the most healthy and young population within West African territories. Depletion of the most productive human resource in Africa meant that its productivity completely went downfootnoteRef:14. As a result instability and insecurity was a common factor in the African land (MANNING, 1990 p.56). The increase in Slave raids pushed more people into hiding places which meant that they aborted their daily economic activities for

safety purposes. In essence, an increase in insecurity leads to a decline in productive activities such as Agriculture and which had a significant effect on the growth of Africa as a continentfootnoteRef:15. Furthermore, the slave trade and increased inter-community wars formed a climate of fear and uncertainty in Africa and which contributed to decreased economic performance (MANNING, 1990 p.67)footnoteRef:16. For example, most West African Textile and metallurgical industries were completely destroyed by the slave trade. 14: The slave focused on individuals from the age of 14 to 35. This was the skilled population in the African Continent. 15: Agriculture and mining was the backbone of African economy and therefore entry of Slave trade lowered its performance which wholly affected its development. 16: Fear and Uncertainty from Slave raiders lowered activity level in economic factors.

According to Rodney, most African industries were brought down by the type of imports brought in by the slave traders. The Europeans imports were not anything to stimulate the production process in African but were products to be consumed directly (RODNEY, 1988 p.28). Furthermore, most products were of very low quality such as the crude pots, cheap gin, and cheap gunpowder. The continued importation of manufactured goods and other cheap textiles from European countries retarded the growth and development of the African manufacturing sector (RODNEY, 1988 p.34)footnoteRef:17. 17: Importation of Cheap and Low quality products such as crude pots, cheap gin, and cheap gunpowder reduced the performance and development of Africa’s industrial sector

As highlighted earlier, carrying all the young and healthy men out of Africa affected mining and agriculture because the remaining older population did not have the strength and energy to

enlarge the activities. Despite the negative note, it is believed that slave trade brought in a structural transformation where African lowered their dependence on natural foods (Agricultural economy) and began relying on produced foods (industrial economy) (MANNING, 1990 p.67). Though it seemed like a positive thing in Africa, the highest percentage of benefit was experienced by the western and European countries. For example, out of the trade, American accessed free labor for their sisal, coffee, and sugar plantations. This led to amplification and growth of industries in AmericafootnoteRef:18. On the other hand, it acted as a through pass for European countries to have a good in floor of Tobacco and Sugar from the American plantations. Simply, when the trade was pressing hard on the African economy, on the one hand, it was growing the economy and well-being of the European and American state (MANNING, 1990 p. 78). Therefore, the slave trade in West Africa may be considered as the magic bullet that coined development of the industrialization process in European countriesfootnoteRef:19. 18: Cheap labor in America led to development of plantation and industries 19: Following presence of cheap labor and development of plantation, Slave trade laid the foundation for industrialization.

Conclusion

From the exploration, the transatlantic slave trade was horrific and brutal and led to dehumanizing and exploitation of the enslaved Africans. As a result, the transatlantic slave trade had political, economic and social impacts on the West and West Central Africa. For example, in America, slave trade led to the growth of Sugar and Tobacco plantations that boosted the process towards industrialization (RYDER, 1969 p.56). Furthermore, it resulted in cultural diversity as many Africans carried with

them the African traditions and cultures to the new places. On the other hand, the Slave trade drained Africa all its energetic and resourceful human resource. This promoted a decline in security, stability and economic activities on the land (RODNEY, 1988 p.45). To the Europeans, slave trade improved their access to already manufactured products such as Tobacco and Sugar and also coined development of industries in the land. Therefore, slave trade has a common good to European and American countries but had a detrimental impact on African tribes.

Bibliography

• KLEIN, H. S. (2010). The Atlantic slave trade. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
• STILWELL, S. A. (2014). Slavery and slaving in African history. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press
• LAW, R. (2008). The impact of the Atlantic slave trade upon Africa. Mu?nster, LIT Verlag.
• HILTON, A. (1985). The kingdom of Kongo. Oxford, Clarendon Press.
• RODNEY, W, (1988). How Europe underdeveloped Africa. Washington, D.C., Howard University Press.
• MANNING, P. (1990). Slavery and African life: occidental, oriental, and African slave trades. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
• RYDER, A. F. C. (1969). Benin and the Europeans, 1485-1897. New York, Humanities Press.