West African Slavery and Atlantic Commerce

Download or read book West African Slavery and Atlantic Commerce written by James F. Searing and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-01-30 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author shows how the societies of West Africa were transformed by the slave trade. The growth of the Atlantic trade stimulated the development of slavery within the region, with slaves working in the river and coasting trades or producing surplus grain to feed slaves in transit. A few held pivotal positions in the political structure of the coastal kingdoms of Senegambia. This local slave system had far-reaching consequences, leading to religious protest and slave rebellions. The changes in agricultural production fostered an ecological crisis.