Author Niall wrote in the Introduction to this 2021 book, “America’ direct involvement with the trans-Atlantic slave trade of African blacks is indisputable. However, slavery has been a major part of civilizations for millennia, from the Greeks to the Romans, the European Catholics to the Ottoman Turks. A more nuanced topic is determining how slavery would come about, how it would become associated with the color of one’s skin, and how it would perpetuate racial tensions for decades after its abolition in the United States. The truth begins not with ancient ideas of racial superiority. Nor does it begin with Europe’s expansionist goals during the 15th century. Rather, it begins with the uniquely rich landscape of the New World.” (Pg. 1-2)
He continues, “When Columbus first sought permission to transport and sell Native Americans in Spain, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella … first wanted to check with the Church and other experts. Eventually, [they] banned the practice of carting Native Americans to Spain. However, in the Americas, far from their dominion, the practice could continue… At first, many of the first colonies could come to a trade agreement with various native tribes… Eventually, European colonists had an idea. They suggested that tribes sell war prisoners for goods…” (Pg. 7)
He goes on, “When neither the indentured servants nor natives were enough, New World plantations and colonies had to look elsewhere for labor… It was the Portuguese who would supply such a market… Portugal had been searching for trade routes to Africa… Trade relations with African Kingdoms had been ongoing, with African resources like gold, ivory, and precious metals. Instead , the Portuguese came across another potentially beneficial good: manpower… It’s easy to imagine that Europeans raided and kidnapped Africans as they pleased. However, Africa had a conglomeration of Kingdoms, powerful tribes, and strongholds that would easily overpower them. Instead, the Portuguese upgraded their trading agreements. In exchange for European goods, Africans can sell slaves they had captured from factory tribes… the Portuguese leveraged what they already saw as a common practice in Africa. War prisoners became slaves to tribes, with a few differences from what slavery would become.” (Pg. 8-10)
He adds, “First, ships supplying trading goods would sail from ports in Europe to East African slave-trading hubs. Africans involved in selling other Africans would receive their goods as payment… Once each ship was filled to the brim with African slaves, they departed to the Americas… Pure racism itself did not result in the Transatlantic Slave Trade… Certainly, American has taken on the role of the catalyst for and the perpetuation of anti-black ideologies. However, the fact remains that all the main powers at the time were complicit. For decades, history books.. taught a reductionist version of the Slave Trade… Scapegoating America, for example, absolved other nations of the responsibility. Misunderstanding the cause of the Slave Trade continues to allow people to maintain false racist beliefs of superiority and inferiority.” (Pg. 11-12)
He explains, “there was an immense difference between its construction of African slaves as cargo and property compared to previous slave trades… Firstly… the trans-Atlantic slave trade completely shifted the traditional practice of slavery… it was… officially called ‘chattel slavery.’ Reducing humans to mere products, chattel slavery … dehumanized them in such a way that slavery up until that point never did… Secondly, the trans-Atlantic slave trade focused primarily on a single location and group of people… this would associate blackness with slavery. Previous trading practices did not differentiate between skin color or even race… Third, the trans-Atlantic slave trade magnified the practice to an incredibly large scale… So while America is the focus, it is impossible to discuss the contents of the slave trade without the collaborative interactives of multiple continents and nations. There is no question that the Arabs and Ottoman Empire also complicit in the eventual trans-Atlantic slave trade.” (Pg. 16-18)
He acknowledges, “Perhaps the biggest question when discussing the Slave Trade n about African involvement. Like many other civilizations, African tribes were already practicing slavery. One might wonder: How could a group enslave their own? The truth is that perception of Africa had never been a united nation… Rather, it was home to multiple tribes, kingdoms… The similarity in skin color had practically no meaning. Each group would capture others from enemy tribes… Europeans could not wage war against entire African Kingdoms to capture potential slaves. Such a plan… would have resulted in little success… it would not have been feasible to gather the millions of African slaves that they did. Slave traders undeniably needed African cooperation… Undoubtedly, African tribes benefited from the Transatlantic Slave Trade… some kingdoms’ entire economy relied on people being sold to European traders… For the general African populations, there were no collective people to claim as their own… Therefore, someone from Kongo enslaving another from a southern African tribe was just like a Spaniard with a slave from the Balkans.” (Pg. 20-22, 26)
He notes, “If there was such a high number of slaves compared to European slave owners, why did they not resist or revolt?... Slaves had no freedom, with the fabric of the plantation culture made of oppression. Because their status deemed them ‘not human,’ they did not receive the same rights free men had… The majority of slaves had the choice of coerced labor for life or death… To orchestrate a revolt required several tools. First, slaves had to plan collectively. They needed to gather arms… they had to escape detection by slave owners… they could not find the time or opportunity to plan insurrection… makeshift weapons or brute force would not be enough to overpower guns… Finally, the … promise of public displays of punishment for rebels hung over slaves’ heads… they ensured all slaves viewed the hanging, decapitation, or other gruesome capital punishment they performed. The message was clear: Aspiring for freedom … guaranteed certain death. It was suicide… most slaves preferred to live.” (Pg. 96-98)
He points out, “With all the profit European nations and the Americas received from the slave trade, didn’t Africa benefit as well? Unfortunately, the following negative impacts of the entire ordeal offset any advantages Africa may have granted… it was a temporary economic gain that only served wealthy African elites. Meanwhile, it destroyed relationships between nations, tribes, and families, and left social and political climates unstable for generations to come… Many historians agree that the slave trade extinguished Africa’s chance to develop normally. Politically, the trade left African nations in ruins… trust and inter-tribal partnerships crumbled, Even within the kingdom, rulers and elites lost control over the market that they initially agreed to enter. Africa’s political degradation left it vulnerable to 20-th century colonization.” (Pg. 155-156)
He concludes, “The trans-Atlantic slave trade left a horrible mark on the world… With access to the untold truth, it becomes easier to understand the immense impact that slavery still has on the world. It is easier to have compassion rather than blame individuals for their flaws. More importantly, it allows the next generations to have a clearer idea of what solutions can undo the systems slavery caused… When societies across the world can take responsibility for identifying and minimizing the effects of this dark past---that’s where progress starts.” (Pg. 169-170)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying slavery, and its effects.
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