Those who wanted to eliminate or reduce the trade in slaves and
who preferred to develop other aspects of a trading economy,
found themselves helpless. A ruler who would not provide the
Europeans with the slaves they desired was then bypassed by all
the European traders. Besides losing the revenue from this trade,
his own military position was weakened. Any ruler who did not
trade slaves for guns could not have guns. Without guns, he would
have difficulty in protecting himself and his people. Any ruler
or people who could not provide adequate self-defense could be
captured and sold into slavery. Once begun, the Africans found
themselves enmeshed in a vicious system from which there seemed to
be no escape. The only possibility for escape would have been the
development of some kind of African coalition, but each petty
ruler as too concerned with his own power to be able to
contemplate federated activity. European greed fed African greed,
and vice a versa.
In the beginning, African slaves were carried back to Portugal
and other parts of Europe to be used as exotic domestic servants.
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