End of African Slave Trade

The end of the African slave trade was motivated by economic, humanitarian and religious reasons.

Throughout the 19th century, several European nations banned the slave trade and abolished slavery in their colonies due to a change in mentality and the way of production.

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With the consolidation of enlightenment and liberalism, the ideas that judged black Africans as inferior beings and, therefore, liable to enslavement were being questioned.

A group of boys presents a petition for the abolition of slavery, while a slave makes the same request to an owner. (England, 1826)

The black came to be seen as an uncivilized being and it would be up to the European to civilize him on his own continent.

The factors that contributed to the success of the end of slavery were precisely those that triggered its beginning.

Religious Motives

Religion, especially the Anglican Church and Protestantism, will play an essential role in this process.

Narratives of ex-slaves about the condition of human goods contributed to inflate the abolitionist movements in Europe.

Gradually, the slave trade came to be classified as “trafficking”, “infamous trade” and “trade in souls”.

Thought gained popular support, reached the elite and slavery began to be morally attacked.

Churches and society started to organize themselves by promoting events and petitions that called for an end to slavery.

See also: Abolitionism

Economic Reasons

European nations, especially England, saw the African continent as a fruitful source of wealth. The maintenance of the human trade system was not viable for the exploitation of the continent’s natural resources.

This was because slave traders were, in general, local chiefs and rulers. Although they acted in the commerce of people, they limited the entry of the European beyond the coast.

Thus, the advantage would be greater for the exploration of the territory and the ideal labor to operate in the mining mines and in agriculture.

There were also a series of natural products that served the nascent industry, such as rubber, palm oil and peanuts.

Likewise, slave labor had a lower cost than a wage worker. Thus, those who used slave labor would offer a cheaper product than those who paid workers.

See also: Negreiros Ships

Combating Trade

The process of abolishing slavery will be unique in each of the countries that used it. However, practically everyone starts by abolishing the transport of enslaved people to their colonies, so that the slave population does not increase.

Slave transport to Rio de Janeiro in 1840, in “Ilhas de Santana”, by Harro-Harring

Then slavery was gradually abolished, starting with the emancipation of young people, or those not yet born, as was the case with the Free Womb Law in Brazil. With that, he wanted to avoid social upheavals and allow time for the transition between slave and free labor.

The supply of slave labor to work in the American colonies also began to succumb after successive internal revolts in the late 18th century.

Among the most important is that of Haiti, whose independence resulted from slave revolts. The French colony was the only possession of American America to have its independence entirely realized by slaves.

The first country to ban the slave trade from its colonies was Denmark in 1792.

England prohibits the trafficking of enslaved human beings in 1807 in the North Atlantic, a measure that affected the Caribbean colonies and the southern United States.

Later, he pressured both Dom João VI and Dom Pedro I to abolish the slave trade between Africa and Brazil.

However, the abolition of slavery in Brazil would be slow and gradual, with parliament controlling the process in order not to undo the established order.

See also: Trafficking Negreiro

Consequences

Slavery will have consequences both on the African continent and in America.

Africa

Slavery in Africa left a deep mark on the continent. It is estimated that about 12 million people passed through the Atlantic to America. These could have served for their economic and intellectual development.

With the occupation of African territory and the subsequent Partition of Africa, we see an increase in ethnic wars and social breakdown.

See also: Berlin Conference

Colonies

In all countries that used slave labor, we can see the same results. People of African descent suffer racism , are at the base of society, have lower incomes and are more likely to be poor.

Despite all this perverse effect, blacks dispersed throughout the world brought within them their ancestral culture, their customs, their religion and their knowledge of agriculture and animal husbandry.

In this way, they mixed their culture with that of the colonizer and the result is seen in music as samba, tango, salsa, Cuban danzón, jazz, blues, etc.

Religions were also reinterpreted and gave rise to candomblé, santeria, candombe, umbanda, etc.

The cuisine was enriched with flavors of vegetables such as okra and yam, the constant use of beans and new ways of preparing poultry and meat.

See also: Main Characteristics of Afro-Brazilian Culture

End of Slavery Chronology