It is prudent to state that slaves existed in Africa even before the arrival of Portuguese and the Spanish. However, it is believed that the way they were treated is very different from the way they were treated after the arrival of the Portuguese and the Spanish. For instance, slaves were treated kindly just like any other citizen could be treated. According to the African traditional beliefs, slavery was considered a temporary state which could occur due to punishment for a crime or in order to pay off a debt.
The difference between the Spanish and the Portuguese trade in Americas was that the Spanish was concerned mainly with the mining of some of the precious metals in Americas. On the other hand, the Portuguese trade involved mainly complex sugar cultivation, estate management and commercial organization. These European countries needed Africans because African could provide cheap labour. Furthermore, Africans could be exploited without complaining.
Africans provided more slaves to the foreigners because of the prevailing condition in Africa during that time. For instance, lack of jobs in Africa contributed immensely towards providing many slaves to the foreign countries. However, the massive transfer of the slaves to the foreign countries poses great long-term effects to the economy of different countries in Africa. For instance, the economy of some countries in Africa is currently growing down because the brilliant who could have contributed to the development of Kenya have been taken away. This implies that Africa remains poor in terms of qualified personnel
The caliphate and the other Muslim empires treated the subjects in accordance with their sharia laws. Therefore, they were treated equally just like other person could be treated. The difference between the Ottoman Empire and how they treat the Muslims and the non-Muslims subject. The treatment of non-Muslims varied over time. For instance, in the early century of the rule of Ottoman the official treatment of the Christians and the Jews was generally fair. During the seventeenth century, they were allowed to elect their headmen in their villages; go to Christian services baptize, marry and bury their deads according to their traditions. Just like any other Muslim, they were taxed heavily than the Muslims during the 18th C; the conditions for the Bakkans Christians had become oppressive.
Pros of the institution of the devshirme, or Janissaries.
The system is based on seizing Balkan Christian boys at a tender age, converting them and giving them limited unlimited chances to advance themselves in army and the government. The devshirme helps the empire to successfully avoid the weakening of the central authority which was inevitable with the kind of the feudal system Orphan had created in the fourteenth century.
Cons
The provincial authorities had to obey the central government or instead they risked being replaced and punished.
