How Did the Transatlantic Slave Trade Change West African Society?

How did the Transatlantic Slave Trade change West African society? The transatlantic slave trade had a great impact to West African society and people.

What is the transatlantic slave trade?

The Transatlantic Slave Trade or triangular slave trade was a route that European traders took to sell slaves from Africa to Americas and Caribbean. The transatlantic slave trade continued for more than 300 years between the 1500’s and 1900’s. The Europeans took between 25-30 million men, women and children from Africa.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade involves three continents Europe, Africa and America. Before the European traders travelled to West Africa, they filled their ships with which they later exchanged for slaves. The goods included weapons, gunpowder, textiles, pearls, cloth, iron, beer, rum and other manufactured goods. After that, the slaves were taken through the Atlantic. On the way to America and the Caribbean Islands, the slaves were treated with great cruelty. The men were separated from women and children by a wooden wall on the ships. They were chained with heavy iron chains binding their legs and arms together. When some of them died or got very sick during the trip, the slave traders would simply throw them overboard where the ones who hadn’t died would almost instantly drown or be killed by sharks. The slaves were fed bland mashed hoarse beans and yams every day.

What was West Africa like before The Transatlantic Slave Trade?

Africa has a very long history. Some of the oldest civilizations in the world were in Africa. Ancient Egypt was one of them. The Egyptians had succeeded in science, math, medicine, technology and art.

Prior to the transatlantic slave trade, there were many highly developed states in West Africa. Kingdoms and empires such as Ghana, Mali, Songhay, Timbuktu and Benin had very well functioning administrative and legal systems. They were advanced in mining, trading, agriculture, arts and crafts. The population of some of these states was very diverse ethnically and culturally, but they coexisted in peace.

Ghana was an empire which was founded in the fifth century AD. Ghana was famous for trading iron and later on, gold between 450 and 1230