Global Exploration and Global Empires 1450-1850, Research Paper Example

Between 1450 and 1850, many key events occurred that enabled the Europeans to successfully trade Africans for use as free workers. Three of these events included the Portuguese’s establishment of trading forts, the seizure of El Mina by the Dutch, and the advent of white settlers in South Africa.

The Portuguese’s establishment of trading forts contributed to the organized trade of Africans. This exchange was coordinated with African leaders who expected to be provided with trade benefits. As a consequence, many African leaders allowed European influence in their state (Stearns et al., 2010). This is important because it encouraged other European nations to form similar agreements with African leaders, which caused the slave trade to become more prominent. The seizure of El Mina, a Portuguese trading fort, by the Dutch was significant because this point marked a time in which each powerful European nation had established their own trading fort. This enabled effective slave trade with the American colonies, which contributed to the Southern colonies’ economic reliance on Africans.

The British settled in South Africa in an attempt to limit the expansion of the Dutch settlers. However, these attempts were unsuccessful and wars between the Dutch settlers and Africans continued. As a consequence, this led to a political shift in Africa. This enhanced the ability of the Europeans to take advantage of the Africans because their status and power had been weakened as a result (Austen, 1987).

In conclusion, while many events contributed to the ability of the Europeans to trade Africans as slaves, many were due to the status of life in Africa. There were many wars and leaders were willing to trade their people in exchange for goods. Ultimately, this continued until slave trade was ended in 1807.

References

Austen R. (1987). African Economic History: Internal Development and External Dependency. London: James Currey

Stearns PN, Adas MB, Schwartz SB, Gilbert MC. (2010). World Civilizations: The Global Experience, Combined Volume. New York: Pearson.