Title: The Slave Trading Kingdoms Of Africa | Interesting History Facts
Headings: The Slave Trading Kingdoms Of Africa
The Slave Trading Kingdoms Of Africa
Origins and Development Of The Slave Trade In Africa
Why Africans Were Involved In The Slave Trade
The Slave Kingdoms Of Africa

Content: For instance, the construction of Slave Forts like the infamous Elmina Castle was undertaken after consultation and agreement with local Chiefs with pre-existing authority over the area. European partnerships and alliances with African Rulers were therefore fundamental to the success of theTransatlantic Slave Trade. In addition, Europeans were confined to the Coastal areas where the Slave Forts were located and did not enter the African interior to raid and capture Slaves on their own. They remained dependant on African Kings and Traders who would capture Slaves in the African interior and transport them to Coastal Slave Forts where they would be sold to Europeans and kept until they were shipped to the New World. Why Africans Were Involved In The Slave Trade
The fact that Africans enslaved Africans has been explained with reference to the fact that there was no universal African identity at the time of the Slave Trade because African Society was organised along Tribal and Ethnic lines. In addition, Slavery was not completely foreign to Africa because the insitution already existed prior to the arrival of Europeans. For instance, Wars between African Kingdoms such as the Asante and Fante produced captives and prisoners of War that were treated as Slaves within African Society. Africans were also attracted to the consumer goods Europeans would exchange for Slaves, and whilst the Transatlantic Slave tried greatly increased the demand for Slaves, it was not responsible for introducing the concept of Slavery to Africa. Kingdoms such as the Ashanti and Dahomey Empires waged Wars to capture more Slaves and they grew enormous wealth and power from their involvement in theSlave Trade. Ultimately, it does not seem possible that the Transatlantic Slave Trade would have existed on such a large scale without the complicity of the powerful African Nations that dominated the African interior and benefitted from the Trade.