Introduction
In early 1550s, Portuguese arrived at the coast of West Africa where they used ships to sail. Their aim was to maneuver in between the Muslim in Northern Africa so that they can be able to bypass their virtual monopoly on the trade. Sub-Saharan trade involves species, gold among other commodities that were in demand in Europe. There was need for advancing in shipbuilding since they were needed to navigate easily in Atlantic. However, the Portuguese came to add another commodity in their ship which was all about slaves and they involved men and women (Falola, Toyin, and Kevin, 67)
The trade resulted to negative impacts and they affected the political stability, religion and social life of the native inheritors. Negative impacts were immense all over the part involved in the Atlantic Trade. Impacts were highly seen on the continental levels, the whole community, family levels as well as personal levels. Death toll in millions of people that were transported and in those who were captured and as a result the economic and environmental destruction followed (Geggus & David, 89). The trade also resulted to wars and slave raid and become startlingly high. After the military actions famines followed which causes the old and the very young to die due to starvation.
Not only demographic toil but also the slave trade causes African to resist on it. Therefore these led to profound in political and social changes in particular countries. Social relations were rationalized and traditional values were overthrown. Predatory regimes and regression started to develop due to slave trade (Geggus & David, 109). Social life was distracted since many communities were forced to relocate from the slave routes. In the process there was hindrance of economic and technological development since they devoted their energy to defending and hiding themselves.
In addition, destruction was immense the relationships between kingdoms were transformed mostly to antagonism. Also there were transformations between ethnic groups and in communities. In political there was transformation in rules, rulers and subjects. For those societies that were decentralized new styles of leadership evolved among people. This later resulted to rigid and also hierarchical structures that they thought would be better to ensure protection (Falola, Toyin, and Kevin, 78).
Additionally, European powers interfered with African political structure and processes that prevent them from rising African centralized states since they could be a hindrance to their operations. At the end of Atlantic Slave Trade the countries that were involved in the trade they ended up being undeveloped, vulnerable to colonialism and much disorganized in political structures. Some of enormous negative impacts for instance in Congo Kingdom were increase in violence that claimed many lives, drain of people as well as its economy increase it reliant on slavery.
However, in those four hundred years of trade there had been seen transformation in African coastal regions and all the way to interior of continent since these were the areas that trading took place. Despite the remarkable significances of the trade, African stills make significant progress during that time. For instance they were good in textile production and metal working. However, the trade changed the face the countries involved in many ways since African coped hard to recover from its ruthless time of her history (Geggus & David, 205).
Works Cited
Falola, Toyin, and Kevin D. Roberts. The Atlantic World, 1450-2000. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008. Print.
Geggus, David P. The Impact of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World. Columbia, S.C: University of South Carolina, 2001. Print.
Thornton, John K, and John K. Thornton. Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Print.
