Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Essay

The trans-Atlantic slave trade in pre-colonial Africa had immense repercussions on the continent’s state formation and the political culture that developed. This triangle trade, as it is often referred to as, began in Europe. Europeans needed raw materials from the colonies in the America’s in order to keep their economy stable. When the Americans did not produce these materials fast enough, or in large enough quantities, there was a call for slaves. Enslaving Africans fulfilled this need. All in all, the trans-Atlantic slave trade would start in Africa, where the slaves were, then they would be shipped to the Americas to work on the plantations, then the raw materials would be shipped to Europe where they would produce goods hat would be sold back to the Americas and Africa. The slave trade was the match that started the fire when it came to the power struggle between affluent Africans.
Instead of foreign rulers enslaving Africans, people of their own race were enslaving each other. This was done in numerous ways. The
In some cases, people would become enslaved when they were accused of a crime. Rather than having to endure a punishment for their actions, enslavement became the new repercussion. Leaders would often enslave their own as a form of tribute in order to protect their communities from being raided. This caused extreme levels of mistrust from the communities of the legal system and the government as a whole. The political and legal corruption that took place during the trans-Atlantic slave trade can be seen as one of the main reasons for African underdevelopment by today’s standards. Mistrust, aggression, and fragmentation that resulted from the trans-Atlantic slave trade led to the instability in Africa that hindered the continents ability to properly form states and governments that would benefit the