How was the continent of Africa enslaved from the 15th to 19th century? Was it because the technology of the Europeans was that much better for them to be able to do that?
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Are you talking about colonization or slavery? Because the continent of Africa was colonized, but not enslaved.
The continent of Africa wasn’t colonized from the 15th to the 19th century. The first European colonies in Africa were from the 17th century and they were small and mostly by Spain alone. By the 18th Century Portugal took over those colonies and expended them, but only on a thin strip on the coast. During the 19th century, several European countries started some colonies, but it was not until the very end (last 20 years or so) of the 19th century that vaccine allowed the European to go deeper in the interior of Africa and that most of Africa become colonized.
As for Slavery. Like I said before, the European were limited to the coast because of all the disease. European and Muslim were buying slaves from Africa, but it was powerful African tribes that enslaved other tribes to sell on the coast.
I don’t know much about the slaves bought by Muslim countries, but for European/American it went from 13 thousand in the early 16th century to 1 million in the early 18th century, then 2 million by the end of the 18th century. After that date, Slavery remained relatively stable until the British abolished Slavery in 1833. It took about 20 more years or so before the effect started to really impact Slavery. Going from 1.8 million slaves in 1826-1850 to 225 thousand in 1851-1875, period in which the US Civil war happened.
So if you are talking about Colonization it was mostly in late 19th to mid 20th century. And if you are talking about Slavery it was mostly in the 18th to mid 19th century.
In the 15th to 18th century, both problem existed, but in small scale. In that period, most of Africa was independent and the trans-Atlantic slavery trade was barely existing or not at all depending on the exact year. But keep in mind that no trans-Atlantic slavery, doesn’t mean no Slavery. Slavery inside of Africa existed and like I said, I don’t know the numbers or period for the Muslim buying slaves.
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