Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade SS1 Nigerian History Lesson Note

Slavery existed in Africa long before Europeans arrived. In West Africa, people became slaves in several ways:

• As punishment for serious crimes
• People captured during wars between different groups
• People sold into slavery to pay debts or during famines
• Through kidnapping by slave raiders
• Children born to parents who were already slaves

These traditional slaves often worked in households, farms, or as soldiers. They sometimes could earn freedom or become part of the owner’s family. This traditional slavery was different from the much larger and harsher trans-Atlantic slave trade that came later.

The Beginning of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

The trans-Atlantic slave trade began with the Portuguese:

• In 1441, a Portuguese explorer named Antão Gonçalves took 10 Africans to Portugal as slaves
• The “discovery” of the Americas (called the “New World”) by Europeans created huge demand for workers
• Europeans needed cheap labor for plantations and mines in the Americas
• They found that Africans survived better than Native Americans in harsh conditions
• Europeans also believed they could make Africans work harder than European workers
• The trade grew from a small beginning into the largest forced migration in history

How the Slave Trade Worked

The slave trade had a complex organization:

• European trading companies (like the Royal African Company) controlled the European side
• Special ships called “slave ships” were built with cramped spaces to hold as many people as possible
• Coastal African middlemen acquired slaves from inland areas through raids, wars, or trade
• These middlemen then sold captives to European traders at coastal ports
• European ships carried enslaved Africans across the Atlantic in terrible conditions
• Many died during the journey (called the “Middle Passage”)
• Survivors were sold at slave markets in the Americas
• Ships then returned to Europe with goods produced by slave labor (sugar, cotton, tobacco)
• This triangle of trade made enormous profits for European traders

Negative Effects of the Slave Trade

The slave trade badly damaged Nigerian societies:

• Created constant fear and insecurity as communities were raided for slaves
• Caused massive population loss – millions of young, healthy people were taken away
• Weakened or destroyed some states like the Oyo Empire that became too dependent on slave trading
• Traditional crafts and industries declined as skilled people were captured
• Agriculture suffered as farmers were taken and people afraid to work in fields far from protection
• Introduced more powerful weapons that increased the deadliness of local conflicts
• Corrupted legal systems as innocent people were condemned to slavery for profit
• Created mistrust between neighboring communities that continues today

Some Benefits That Came Indirectly

Despite its horrors, some developments came indirectly from this period:

• Some coastal middlemen and rulers (like Alaafin Abiodun of Oyo) gained wealth and power
• Niger Delta states like Bonny, Kalabari, and Okrika grew wealthy through the trade
• Harbors and ports were developed, like Lagos and Calabar, that later helped other trade
• New food crops from the Americas (maize, cassava, sweet potatoes) were introduced
• Christian missionaries eventually came to fight slavery and brought education
• These benefits never justified the terrible human cost of slavery

Why the Slave Trade Was Finally Abolished

Several factors led to the end of the legal slave trade:

• Religious groups (especially Quakers) argued slavery was against Christian values
• New European ideas about human rights and freedom made slavery seem backward
• Europeans developed new technologies and wanted to sell manufactured goods to Africans
• Britain lost its American colonies and no longer benefited from their slave economies
• The Industrial Revolution created new economic systems that didn’t need slave labor
• Freed slaves like Olaudah Equiano wrote powerful accounts of slavery’s horrors
• Economic theories suggested “free labor” was more productive than forced labor

How the Slave Trade Was Ended

Abolition happened through several steps:

• Britain made the slave trade illegal in 1807
• The British navy patrolled the Atlantic to capture slave ships
• Other European countries gradually banned the trade
• The United States banned importing slaves (though slavery continued there)
• “Legitimate trade” in palm oil, timber, and other goods replaced slave trading
• Former slave ports became centers for new types of commerce
• Britain established Freetown (Sierra Leone) for freed slaves
• Missionaries increased their work in West Africa
• However, illegal slave trading continued for decades

The abolition of the slave trade did not immediately end slavery itself. Many enslaved people remained in captivity in the Americas, and domestic slavery continued in Africa. Full emancipation would take many more decades of struggle. The legacy of this terrible trade can still be felt in Nigeria and throughout the African diaspora today.

Assignment

1. Explain the origin of the slave trade
2. Why did the Europeans visit the Nigerian coast?
3. What were the effects of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on Nigerian peoples?