who sold Africans to European traders? - Google Search During the transatlantic slave trade, the vast majority of enslaved Africans were sold to European traders by African rulers, military leaders, and elite merchants from various coastal and interior kingdoms. European traders rarely ventured inland to capture people themselves due to tropical diseases and strong African military resistance. Instead, they relied on local networks to bring captives to coastal trading posts. Key African Kingdoms and Groups Involved: The Kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin): Highly militarised and one of the most prominent states dedicated to capturing and exporting captives. The Ashanti Empire (modern-day Ghana): Used firearms acquired from Europeans to conquer neighbouring territories and supply captives. The Oyo Empire (modern-day Nigeria): A dominant Yoruba state that utilized its cavalry to capture people from weaker neighboring communities. The Kingdom of Kongo (modern-day Angola/DRC): Initially partnered with Portuguese traders, though its rulers later struggled to control the destabilising internal raids it caused. The Imbangala and Nyamwezi: Specialized mercenary groups and mobile traders who acted as commercial intermediaries, waging wars deep inland to march captives to the coast. The Mechanics of the Trade The Gun-Slave Cycle: European traders paid for captives using highly desirable manufactured goods, most notably firearms and gunpowder, alongside textiles, alcohol, brass, and cowrie shells. This created a vicious cycle: African kingdoms needed European guns to defend themselves from rivals or expand their territory, and the only way to pay for those guns was by capturing and selling more people. Existing Systems: Forms of slavery and the trading of war captives already existed across various African societies. However, the astronomical demand from European powers looking to supply labour for New World plantations completely transformed and weaponized the scale of the practice. Historians estimate that roughly 90% of the Africans transported across the Atlantic were originally captured and sold to European ships by fellow Africans.
Create an account or sign in to comment