Peter Mancall's Report

During the European Scramble for Africa, in the early 20th century, Africans had a peaceful reaction with anti-imperialistic sentiments (docs. 2, 3, 4, and 7), peaceful actions through the approach of diplomacy (docs.1, 2, and 3) and also a rebellious anti-imperialistic reaction (docs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) towards the Scramble for Africa.

The story that surrounds the transatlantic slave trade is notoriously known, by both young and old, across the nation. This story has not only survived, but thrived as “truth” through generations for several centuries; Although, it is much closer to a mystical tale than reality. In Reversing Sail, Michael Gomez lays the myths affiliated with African Diaspora to rest. Gomez shows the path of the amalgamation of the African people along with their resources into Europe. A path that leads to the New World, that would potentially become the Americas, would ultimately result in more than just the exploitation of Africans as slaves. Compacted into an eight-chapter undergrad textbook, Gomez uses Reversing Sail to unground the history, complexity, and instrumentality of the African Diaspora. He does such in a

Assess the Impact of European commercial activities in the Atlantic Islands and West Africa from 1415 to 1600.

The Atlantic Slave Trade was a part of African history that had made one of it's biggest impact on Africa's relation with the world and more importantly on the inner workings of the country itself due to its large-scale involvement of many of the people in the continent. Although the slave trade was so long ago the impact can still be seen in Africa's social workings within the people, its economy in the local and global market, and within the political landscape of the countries.

In the late 1800’s Europeans took over Africa, took their resources,enslaving the Africans, and changed the course of history. The Europeans took over Africa, which is called The Scramble For Africa, in 1884-1914. The Europeans took over because Africa was rich in raw materials, they wanted power, and they thought their culture was superior. The driving force behind imperialism was need for resources, political competition, and technological advances. One driving force behind imperialism was need for natural resources. Document E uses a bar graph to show imports and exports in 1854, and 1900 between Great Britain and South Saharan Africa. Great Britain made 3 million British pounds in 1854, and 21

“African Perspectives on Colonialism” is a book written by A. Adu Boahen. This book classifies the African responses to European colonialism in the 19th century. Boahen begins with the status of Africa in the last quarter of the 19th century and follows through the first years of African independence. This book deals with a twenty year time period between 1880 and 1900. Boahen talks about when Africa was seized and occupied by the Imperial Powers of Europe. Eurocentric points of view dominated the study of this era but Boahen gives us the African perspective. There are always two sides of the story and Boehen tells us the side less talked about informing us of what he knows.

Although all this documents stress voices from the Slave Trade, each document sheds a unique light on the much-debated question about who should be held responsible for the tragedy of the Atlantic slave trade. For example, Document 15.1 sheds light on the role of both European and African merchants in the trafficking of slaves as well as the human suffering of the slave trade. However Document 15.2 reveals the cooperation between local African rulers and European and African traders in the slave trade. Moreover, Documents 15.3 focus on how disruptive European traders could be to established African governments, even those that actively opposed the slave trade. And finally, Document 15.4 shows how some African leaders were attached to the slave trade and promoted it even when European were moving to end it. Nonetheless, all the documents do shed a clear and a full light on what should be held responsible for the

Another factor enabling the slave trade was a better nautical knowledge. An “understanding of the wind and ocean currents of the North and South Atlantics” (Eltis, 2007). Not having enough indenture servants from Europe and a dying Amerindian population made trading for African’s slaves the best choose. The “agency” that supplied the slaves were the ruling tribe of the African’s region. Slaves were either former prisoner of war or a person of criminal tendencies (Eltis, 2007).

The controversial scholarly journal of Robert S Wolff explores the history of the first trade encounters between the Portuguese in Africa and Asia, controversy lying in its separation from the Western narrative. Throughout the article, the author is trying to figure out the motives or other considerations playing a role behind the actions of Portuguese and other Europeans, such as choosing violent ways of making a profit in the lands of Africa and Asia, rather than using the existing trade networks, to emerge as the world ruler. In his view, Europeans had claimed themselves to be the “center of the world” way before they have risen to that title. European countries were looking for profitable trade in wealthy lands full of gold, consequently lack of resources and other valuable goods became a barrier to their success in the already existing channels.This is seen in da Gamma’s first encounter with the local ruler of Calicut, where his gifts were considered substandard to that of the poorest merchant, as seen by the local advisor.

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was developed by the existing system of slave trade in African Kingdoms. Demand and need for more slaves lead to active participation in obtaining slaves by African Kingdoms. “European explorers found slavery as a popular custom with advantages in many countries, which influenced Europe to make slavery a strong trade and monetary investment to its colonies. Therefore, in 1441 Europe started trading slaves in Africa.”

Early in the 17th century, Portugal was the main European power interacting and trading with African economies. Further discovery peaked a Portuguese interest in African spices, textiles, gold and slaves. Similar to the original role it played in Southeast Asia, Portugal acted as the “truck driver” of the African markets by transporting goods and slaves between African port cities in addition to the trade between European and African markets. The interaction with the African communities had a deeper impact in comparison with the interaction between Portugal and Southeast Asia. As a desire for wealth and development invaded the minds of the Portuguese officials, it also spread to Africa by altering the culture, disrupting political establishments and creating a greater reliance on global interaction The culture changed as African businessmen began selling fellow Africans into the slave trade in order to maximize profits. The previously established political entities of Africa were traded for European-influenced governmental structures. Spiked by the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, earlier African markets involving artisan-fare and small businesses were practically eliminated as production of large companies increased (Strayer 452-457). This trend of dominance continued to spread

Kristin Mann’s novel titled “Slavery and the Birth of an African City: Lagos, 1760-1900” is an investigation into the history of a small but globally significant portion of the West African coast and its relationship with the economy and the culture of the Atlantic world. Mann alludes to a shift in consciousness by the dominant power of Britain to the ‘reconceptualization’ (Mann 2007, 1) of Europe’s relationship with Africa as well as the abolishment of the trading of slaves. Her central focus is on Lagos – the former capital city of Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria – from its rise to pre-eminence as a slave port to its relationship with the political economy and culture of the Atlantic world. This book is primarily concerned with the African side of the story and does this by examining how the inhabitants of Lagos were affected by their Atlantic encounters in the eras of slavery and abolition. Mann uncovers how the world that the people of Lagos lived in changed overtime from the centre of Atlantic commerce into a British imperial capital through the following means: i) the trading of slaves, ii) the production of and trade in palm produce (2). Mann’s book also highlights the shifting balance of power between owners and slaves and the relationships between rich men, women and other dependents and how they adapt to new opportunities and constraints. Her study aims to advance the knowledge concerning several problems in African history, Atlantic history, and slave

This essay will briefly define and describe the Atlantic slave trade and analyse what, and how much, African political and economic interests shaped the trade up to 1807/8, the point when the United States and Great Britain abolished the trade; also contending that because the suppliers for the slaves i.e the Africans themselves, had as much of a significant role in the trade as the demanders (the Europeans), numerous African political and economic interests as well as social structures had an almost pivoting role in shaping the nature and expanse of the Atlantic slave trade. This piece of writing will also attempt to illustrate the changes over the period of slavery before 1807, where European influence and pressure likely increased in the later period, after the first century and a half; contending that the Africans had more significant part to play in the initial stages of the trade, but as it enlarged the Europeans conceivably had a more significant role in the exploitation and manipulation of African slaves due to several factors, primarily through arming of Africans and inciting war within the continent.

From the seventeenth century on slaves became the focus of trade between Europe and Africa. Europe’s conquest and colonization of North and South America and the Caribbean islands from the fifteenth century onward created an insatiable demand for African laborers, who were deemed more fit to work in the tropical conditions of the New World. The amount of slaves took across the Atlantic Ocean slowly grew, from around 5,000 slaves a year in the sixteenth century to more than 100,000 slaves a year by the eighteenth century.

The Atlantic slave trade, lasting for over four centuries, affected various groups of people in very contrasting ways. It was the host of horrific, dehumanizing, and immoral experiences, but also of economic gain, adventure, and business. It was the first time that slavery had been conducted a large scale, and because it occurred during a time of need for manual labor on plantations, land owners saw the potential purchasing of slaves as an opprintunity to upscale their businesses. Through the perspectives of Olaudah Equiano, a captured African slave, Thomas Phillips, an English merchant, and African King Affonso I, it is clear that the Europeans and Africans that took part in the transatlantic slave trade had very different experiences and perceptions regarding the slave trade, primarily because of a difference in power, a difference in background, and a difference in technology.