Stearns Ch. 13 - Africa and the Africans in the Age of the Atlantic Slave Trade

baquaqua

early 19th century, born in benin, muslim, captured and enslaved, wrote a book

factoires

stations set up with local african merchants by the portuguese on the way down the african coast. built w cooperation, used to expand empire.  

el mina

a factory set up by the portuguese in west africa (present day ghana), gold producing forest area, most important.

portuguese and west african trade exchange goods

ivory, pepper, animal skins, and goldin exchange for slaves and goods.

ppl the portuguese established trade with off of el mina

merchants from mali and songhay

portuguese perceptions of different west african states

liked: benin, large trading states

disliked: small states, muslims 

most successful portuguese missionary effort

kongo

nzinga mvemba

king of kongo, converted to christianity by portuguese missionaries, changed to alfonso I as his title, was equal with portuguese then tried to sever when enslavement increased.

mbundu people located

south of kongo, portuguese colony of angola

luanda

factory established by the portuguese south of kongo, launch off for angola colony

two methods of enslaving people 

capture or trade 

system that replaced slavery in middle age europe

serfdom

sao tome

portuguese island off african coast, home of sugar plantations

plantations of sugar increased demand for what 

africans to enslave 

ship death rate

10-20 percent

1450-1850 how many were enslaved

12 million sent across the atlantic

southern usa relationship with enslaved labor 

relied on local population growth instead of imports 

hotspots for importing african labor

• french caribbean

• brazil

• spanish america

women and children were exported where and men where

women and children in trans saharan, men in atlantic.

euro cts that rose in slave trade as port declined

dutch, english, french 

el mina siezed when by who

dutch 1637

royal african company

1660s, created by the english to monopolize the trade of enslaved people in the british colonies, shipped africans to barbados, jamaica, and virginia.

neg euro experiences with trade of enslaved africans 

malaria/tropical diseases, very lethal 

forms of currency in africa by euro merchants

iron bars, brass rings, cowrie shells

indies piece

term created by the spanish to refer to one healthy african man, with women and children placed as fractions of an indies piece.

overall english profit rate from enslavement 

5-10 percent

triangular trade

transatlantic trade system, european merchants enslaved africans and brought them to the americas, got tobacco and sugar in exchange, brought them back to europe, and used them to enslave more africans.

forest states of west africa (benin) and the kongo slavery pre-euro

already institutionalized

ahmed baba of timbuktu

legal scholar, protested against enslavement of muslims in the 16th century

sudanic/islamic states in africa rel w/ slavery pre-euro

ok for non muslims, bad for muslims.

rise of warrior/soldier in dahomey, kongo, zambezi river 

bc of politically decentralized, fragmented, and conflicting states. expanding by killing neighbors. 

african states developing to anti-authoritarian and self suffiency

african societies harmed most by euro enslavers

african states developing to centralization and hierarchy

african states that enslaved

impact of euro on african states on the coast 

negative, couldn’t monopolize although they tried, euros stopped dev im

impact of euro on african states a bit more inland

increased influence from access to euro goods allowing them to expand and enslave more people

asante

akan people, gold and kola nuts producer, matrilineal, gold coast, empire, led by oyoko clan, cooperated with euro and got firearms, expanded late 17th through 18th century

osei tutu 

oyoko clan member in asante, ruled over the akan people, centralized, linking small sovereign states together and creating the asantehene title 

asantehene

asante title for supreme leader, both civil and religious.

akan people

people in matrilineal states under the asante

oyoko clan 

a clan of the akan people in the asante region, dominating clan grouop 

exports of the asante state

gold and enslaved people

bight of benin

on the euro “slave coast”, beteween rivers volta and benin, gave rise to benin and dahomey

a capital city on the kongo coast, major triangular trade port, architecture impressed euro viewers, image 13.4 

loango 

benin trade of enslaved people

oba in early 16th century limited slavery, traded through pepper, textiles, and ivory. eventually gave in, but enslavement was never main.

dahomey

A kingdom in West Africa known for its powerful military and involvement in the slave trade. It played a significant role in the capture and sale of enslaved people to European traders.

yoruba state of oyo

held power over dahomey, governing council shared power with the ruler.

ivory ladles, saltcellars

artisans from benin, sierra leone, and kongo created for the portuguese 

mauritus

indian ocean island with euro plantation

destination for people enslaved on the eastern coast of africa

arabian and middle eastern households

zanzibar 

eastern african shore island, clove plantation system set up by indian ocean traders

nilotic migrations

pastoral people of upper nile with iron age tech, moving to bantu dominated areas

luo

nilotic people, established a dynasty over bantu in east central afri can lake area and surrounding regions, capital at bunyoro

buganda

strong centralized kingdom in bantu area 

hausa kingdoms

northern nigerian muslims

1770s muslim reform movements

western sudan, sufi muslim,

fulani 

adopted sufi islam, revolted against the hausa kingdoms, pastoral people, western sudan 

fulani expansion

the 19th-century movement of the Fulani people to spread sufi islam and establish jihads across West Africa. motivated by politics and religion. led by usman dan fodio. established a state centered on sokoto with a caliph.

sokoto state 

result of the fulani expansion, under a caliph, developed by dan forno’s son and brother 

usman dan fodio

1804 muslim fulani scholar, preached sufi islam that was spreading in hausa kingdoms, 1804 began the fulani expansion movement preaching jihadist reforms against the hausa kings

kano

new center of trade established as a result of islamization and the fulani expansion

zulu

a group of southern bantu speaking people united under the shaka chiefdom who established a powerful kingdom in the early 19th century, known for their military organization and resistance against colonial expansion.

bantu people form of government (southern) 

chiefdoms with consent of the ppl 

cape colony

1652, dutch east india company, wars with the southern bantu that pushed them further northward, wanted expansion and productivity

great britain cape colony involvement

1795 took over, 1815 formal british control

voortrekkers 

boers moving to the north, escaping British rule and seeking land

great trek

movement of voortrekkers (boer settlers) nrothward to escape british colonial governmetn, 1834, went to north of orange river and natal

shaka

chief of the zulu, reformed and organized the zulu military, iron hand of rule, assassinated, expanded

mfecane

southern african wars, nineteenth century, created by shaka’s zulu expansion, changed political organization of southern africa,

swazi 

new african state , survived mfecane, modeled after shaka’s zulu 

lesotho

resisted the zulu expansion, survived mfecane, less militarized, listened to the people

zulu defeated by 

great britain in the zulu wars of late 19th century

middle passage

middle part of the triangular trade, voyage from africa to americas, traumatic

sought after for skill in sugar crystalization 

west africans

saltwater slaves

individuals born and enslaved in africa

creole slaves

descended from saltwater slaves, often mulatto b/c of SAmix of African and European ancestry, born in the Americas.

slaves with greater opportunity

creole slaves, especially mulatto

eighteenth century jamaican revolts

led by the akan people

leaders of seventeenth century brazil largest escaped slave community

led by angolans

“creole” cultures (in reference to slavery)

AF practices + creative adaption in amer

black catholic brotherhoods

african-descended religious organizations in amer, catholic, lay, often focused on community support and cultural preservation. had protestant versions in british areas.

obeah 

african religious customs and practices in the americas 

candomble

yoruba word for african religious ideas and practices in brazil, fully developed version of AF trads + some amer

vodun 

aja word 4 african religion in haiti, fully fledged

who had trouble blending their african beliefs with christianity

muslim africans

male revolt

largest brazilian slave rebellion, organized by muslims

palmares

large kingdom of people who escaped enslavement, held 10k people, angolan leadership   

suriname

former dutch plantation colony, eighteenth century independent runaway slave kingdom, guerrilla resistance, maroons, fusion culture, cool wooden door

jean jacques rousseau

french, against slavery

adam smith 

england, against slavery

william wilberforce

religious humanitarian, british, led abolitionist movement to parliament that ended slave trade in 1807. h

last area to abolish slavery in the americas

brazil

econocide 

economic suicide, some argue ending the slave trade was econocide 

john wesley

abolitionist in england with william wilberforce