Slavery In The Nineteenth Century

Slavery is focused around the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, but Africans were sold into slavey long before this time period. On the East African coast, the majority of slaves were sent to Arabia and the Persian Gulf as ‘domestic servants, concubines, or plantations workers.’ The trade was relatively small compared to the atlantic system. Ivory was still the one of the main trading items. This remained the case, until the second portion of the eighteenth century. Other countries soon needed alternatives for slave labour and turned to the east African coast. As with everything, the slave trade came to an end, but what replaced it still required capturing African people.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries,

Fathers and sons had oiled skin and for some reason had a strip of material wrapped around their waist. Most likely, this was used to show off their size. For mothers and daughters, they were dressed in cloth and on occasions given jewelry to wear. Layers upon layers of kohl was spread across their foreheads. The market for slaves pend in the late afternoon. With them lined up by height, their owners would show them off while saying the prices. All owners gave the same speech about how healthy their slaves were and did not have any defects. Like modern day customers, buyers would examine potential slaves. Some even made them run to ensure they were a good buy. Once they were deemed worthy, the highest bidder won. Slaves were then put to work on plantation or in houses. Now the difference of this slave trade to others, is that the slaves were treated fairly well once making it to their homes. ‘They were fed, housed and clothed, and given small plots of land, with time off to tend them.’ Even mothers usually stayed with their children and some were freed. Many stayed working for their former master, but as an employee. A few joined the very trade that lead them into

Britain’s sentiments and commerce were reason for their interest in Zanzibar. Zanzibar’s sultan was convinced by the British to end the slave market. A problem with this process was that the demand for ivory. At first, ivory was mainly sent to India and China, but Europe had the highest demand. ‘They used the ivory for billiard balls, piano keys and the handles of their cutlery.’ By the 1870s, fewer exports of slaves were happening. With this market for African elephant tusks, innocent people of East Africa were still taken and were forced to carry the tusks to the coastal markets. By the 20th century, European forces had ended many slave trading states. Abolition of slavery began in the 19th century, but is was not until the 20th century that the effects took place. Around this time unfortunately, slavery became apart of the society and it stayed illegally. Some slaves found ways to get from it’s reaches. They ran away and even told colonial authorities about what was happening. Sadly, all did not enjoy freedom unconditionally, under the Islamic law, slavery pressed on in a way. A lot of societies knew slavery for centuries and found it hard to develop a new commerce. Colonial governments, now against slavery, still need cheap labor. This created a loop hole for