Upon arrival in the West Indies, another bargaining process was
begun. Here the slaves were traded for local agricultural
products which were wanted in Europe. Then the ships were loaded
with tobacco, sugar, and other West Indian produce and returned
to Europe for still another sale and another profit. At every
point along the route, large sums of money were made. A profit
of at east one hundred percent was expected. Vast wealth was
obtained through the slave trade, and this money was reinvested
in the developing industrial revolution. Thereby the Africans
unwittingly helped to finance the European industrial revolution
which widened the technological gap between Africa and Europe.
The African slave was sometimes a criminal, but, more often than
not, he was captured in battle. As the slave trade grew and with
it the need for more slaves, the number of these battles
increased. Clearly, many battles were being fought solely for the
purpose of acquiring slaves who could then be sold to the
European traders. Sometimes, too, the slave might have been the
political enemy of the ruler or of some other powerful person.
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