I appreciate this article shedding light on the African complicity in the slave trade. But parts of this article go too far and make the Europeans sound like feckless non-agents whom the Africans bullied into buying slaves.
> Europeans were mandated to pay ground rent or tribute whenever they built settlements. Similarly, the Whydah kingdom compelled European merchants to pay customs fees and distribute gifts to the king and his agents. Overcome with greed, one king in 1700 extracted fees equivalent to ten slaves from each European slaver to open the market, and then ordered them to purchase his slaves at an exorbitant price.
The fact that the European traders put up with these terms does indicate the lucrative nature of the trade to them. If the terms were not acceptable they would've walked away! So the exorbitant price must not actually have been all that exorbitant, if the traders nonetheless had the expectation of profit from the endeavor.
Just to share my own experience on how the African Slavery Trade was taught in my class when I was a child in my country, which has been a massive participant in slavery and colonialism in Africa.
My elementary and middle school teachers never hid the fact that Africans were cooperative in this trade as some drawings on our course material depicted explicitly an African tribe trading with whites to exchange people from other enemy tribes for unique resources provided by Europeans.
I’ve no clue how it was taught in other classes and schools but this was likely part of our official governmental curriculum since the late 2000’s. However, it didn't get that deeper than that compared to what you presented in this post.
Is there a good book providing an overview of slavery across time and geographies? I’d like to understand the subject without having to suffer from the usual political angles.
Thank you Lipton. This looks pretty much like what I was looking for! “This new four-volume History is the first to survey the entire history of slavery across the world, from antiquity to the present day.”
very interesting thanks. also strikes me how accountability is so crucial to civilisation. what we do 'when no one is looking' - is all of history tied up with that problem? i suppose not, there's boldfaced aggression too, but when you act on it, you sanction it for others, so self-defeating. (I've often thought criminals or violent people live in a much darker human inner world since they define it by their own actions). i suppose there's the power of violence, and the power of deceit. anything else?!
Thanks for an interesting and informative article.
But the fact is there will be no supply without demand.
I am speaking for the situation in the United States. The choice of the colonists to use slave labor has caused enormous problems for four hundred years., for both blacks and whites. And the clash of disparate cultures has been a tremendous burden through the years.
I appreciate this article shedding light on the African complicity in the slave trade. But parts of this article go too far and make the Europeans sound like feckless non-agents whom the Africans bullied into buying slaves.
> Europeans were mandated to pay ground rent or tribute whenever they built settlements. Similarly, the Whydah kingdom compelled European merchants to pay customs fees and distribute gifts to the king and his agents. Overcome with greed, one king in 1700 extracted fees equivalent to ten slaves from each European slaver to open the market, and then ordered them to purchase his slaves at an exorbitant price.
The fact that the European traders put up with these terms does indicate the lucrative nature of the trade to them. If the terms were not acceptable they would've walked away! So the exorbitant price must not actually have been all that exorbitant, if the traders nonetheless had the expectation of profit from the endeavor.
Just to share my own experience on how the African Slavery Trade was taught in my class when I was a child in my country, which has been a massive participant in slavery and colonialism in Africa.
My elementary and middle school teachers never hid the fact that Africans were cooperative in this trade as some drawings on our course material depicted explicitly an African tribe trading with whites to exchange people from other enemy tribes for unique resources provided by Europeans.
I’ve no clue how it was taught in other classes and schools but this was likely part of our official governmental curriculum since the late 2000’s. However, it didn't get that deeper than that compared to what you presented in this post.
Why was there no mention of the Chosen People?
Eli Faber wrote on them
The final boss of topics.
Forgotten West Africa history that cannot and should not be airbrushed away. Thank you!
Lots of good points. I have a few more in my article on the topic:
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/why-race-cannot-explain-human-history
Very good post.
Is there a good book providing an overview of slavery across time and geographies? I’d like to understand the subject without having to suffer from the usual political angles.
Cambridge History of Slavery. There are several editions exploring different aspects of slavery
Thank you Lipton. This looks pretty much like what I was looking for! “This new four-volume History is the first to survey the entire history of slavery across the world, from antiquity to the present day.”
Would you like to read it for free.
Definitely. I was taken aback when I saw the price on Amazon (about $150 per volume).
I will upload the book. It is not possible here. Send an email
Send me email with the book's title
"The past must never be airbrushed or distorted in a misguided effort to elevate blacks’ self-esteem."
Seems like this is the root of just about everything race related in America.
very interesting thanks. also strikes me how accountability is so crucial to civilisation. what we do 'when no one is looking' - is all of history tied up with that problem? i suppose not, there's boldfaced aggression too, but when you act on it, you sanction it for others, so self-defeating. (I've often thought criminals or violent people live in a much darker human inner world since they define it by their own actions). i suppose there's the power of violence, and the power of deceit. anything else?!
Thanks for an interesting and informative article.
But the fact is there will be no supply without demand.
I am speaking for the situation in the United States. The choice of the colonists to use slave labor has caused enormous problems for four hundred years., for both blacks and whites. And the clash of disparate cultures has been a tremendous burden through the years.
History is not a pretty study and attempts to whitewash end in ugly smudges. Many books could be written on inhumanities in all regions.