Archaeology nature of west afiican political order in the era. Only captives and criminals were sacrificed no free dahomean was sacrificed so that no life. Dahomey, kingdom in western africa that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries in the region that is now southern benin. Dahomey and the slave trade, an analysis of an archaic economy karl polanyi, abraham rotstein, paul bohannan on. International day for the remembrance of the slave trade and its abolition. This civil power, lacking the means of really efficient exploitation, in the absence of a crystallized class system, of a mature internal structure. By karl polanyi in collaboration with abraham rotstein. During this period, the relations between the kingdom of dahomey, brazil, and portugal were very dynamic. As elsewhere, polanyis purpose in his 1966 dahomey and the slave trade was to advocate an alternative to the market system in which prices were state. During the 1720s, the kingdom of allada and the kingdom of whydah came under dahomey. Dahomeys women warriors history smithsonian magazine.
The dahomey kingdom became known to european traders at this time as a major source of slaves in the slave trade at allada and whydah. What european development can we attribute to this. But many people want to forget their families role. Dahomey has played a prominent role in debates about the dahomey and the atlantic slave trade. Dahomey and the slave trade 239 the rise of the slave trade and the emergence of dahomey the sectio onf the west african coast later known as the slave coast was originally discovere bdy the portuguese in the 1470s, but did not become important in the atlantic trade until much later i. Conquered beginning in the mid1720s, dahomey was forced to pay tribute to oyo for a century and, more significantly, was introduced to oyos slave trade economy. In the third of george mcdonald frasers flashman novels, flash for freedom 1971, flashman dabbles in the slave trade and visits dahomey.
Being the journals of two missions to the king of dahomey, and residence at his capital, in the year 1849 and 1850 description frederick e. Slavery in dahomey and asante was not primarily an economic af fair. An evil west african king and the atlantic slave trade. Archaeology and political order on the bight of benin. Ghezo died in 1858, possibly assassinated, and his son glele became the new king. Reflections on the historiography of the rise of dahomey volume 27 issue 2 robin law skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Histoire africaine dov nen purdue university on the african role the transatlantic slave trade dahomey between the end of the seventeenth century and the end of the nineteenth some seven million africans were transported from the west coast of africa to the american continent and the west indies many of them from the dahomean port of whydah. The rise of abeokuta in the 1840s created another power rivaling dahomey, largely by creating a safe haven for people from the slave trade.
An account of the slave trade on the coast of africa. On the one hand, brazil was a portuguese colony until 1822. Pdf this article examines the correspondence between the. Imprint seattle, university of washington press 1968, c1966 physical description xxvi, 204 p. Dahomey reached the height of its power and prestige during the heyday of the atlantic slave trade in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. Dahomey and the ending of the transatlantic slave trade. Factional conflict in dahomey in the context of the ending of the atlantic slave trade by robin law university of stirlingyork university, ontario in 1858, after a reign of forty years, king gezo of dahomey died and was succeeded by one of his sons called badahun, who took the royal name of glele by which he is more generally known. The ladder of ascent in obtaining the procurements of the sudan ahmad baba answers a moroccans questions about slavery wdl9661. By 1600, the slave trade predominated over all other kinds of trade on the african coast.
Pdf the kingdom of dahomey rose to power on the slave coast of west africa during the tumultuous atlantic era 16th19th centuries ce. Historians estimate that over the course of two centuries, ouidah alone exported more than one million africans before closing its trade in the 1860s. In karl polanyi final work, published posthumously, was dahomey and the slave trade 1966, which analyzed the economic structure of a slave exporting state read more. From 1690 until england abolished the slave trade in 1807, it was the leading carrier of enslaved africans. England dominates the slave trade as englands presence in the americas grew, it came to dominate the atlantic slave trade. Dahomey and the dahomans being the journals of two missions to the king of dahomey.
The transatlantic slave trade had a profound impact on dahomey. Economic conditions, history, commerce, slave trade, slave trade, economic anthropology. On the african role in the transatlantic slave trade in dahomey. This gave dahomey direct access to the coast where they could profit from the slave trade directly and aquire firearms for further expansion and conquest.
An account of the slave trade on the coast of africa also available in format docx and mobi. The viceroy of ouidah 1980 by bruce chatwin is the story of a brazilian who, hoping to make his fortune from slave trading, sails to dahomey in 1812, befriending its unbalanced king and coming to a bad end. He had an army of several thousand female warriors, the famous amazons. The last known slave ship that sailed to the united states of america to port in mobile, alabama brought a group of 110 slaves from the dahomey kingdom, purchased long after the abolition of the international slave trade. Women and slavery in the kingdom of dahomey persee. The slave trade book by hugh thomas official publisher. The history of the kingdom of dahomey black history 365. The viceconsulate in the coastal port of ouidah, in the kingdom of dahomey, west african now in the modern republic of benin was established in18512 as part of the british governments efforts to suppress the transatlantic slave trade. Slavery and the kingdoms of oyo, dahomey and asante. After many years of research, awardwinning historian hugh thomas portrays, in a balanced account, the complete history of the slave trade. The women soldiers of dahomey elite troops of women soldiers, probably established in the early eighteenth century, contributed to the military power of the kingdom of dahomey in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. On the african role in the transatlantic slave trade in. From the 1720s to the 1860s, dahomey s trade was conducted mainly through the port of whydah and was oriented principally toward brazil.
Read an account of the slave trade on the coast of. Abomey, dahomeys capital, was founded around 1620 by dogbari, who fled allada after a power struggle amongst his brothers for the control of that kingdom. The rise of the kingdom of dahomey coincided with the growth of the slave trade in the area, and consequently has often served as a case study of the impact of. Beginning with the first portuguese slaving expeditions, he describes and analyzes the rise of one of the largest and most elaborate maritime and commercial ventures in all of history. During the era of the atlantic slave trade, the kingdom of dahomey sent at least. Bay emory university, atlanta the kpojito, the female reignmate to the king of dahomey, is said by twentiethcentury dahomeans to have been the richest and most powerful. Often recruited as teenagers, the women soldiers lived in the royal palace, isolated from society. Download an account of the slave trade on the coast of africa ebook for free in pdf and epub format. He promised to end the slave trade in 1852, but resumed slave efforts in 1857 and 1858. It considers, and refutes, the view that the rulers of dahomey had originally intended to bring the slave trade to an end.
Dahomey village ganvie 1960 prime minister hubert maga 1960 maga issue surcharged 1961 emblem of the entente 1960 c. Pdf download the sugar industry and the abolition of slave trade 17751810 pdf full ebook. It is nonsense to say that polanyi criticized command communism and free markets impartially. Some captives were kept in the kingdom as a labor force for royal plantations. King agaja, grandson of houegbadja, came to the throne in 1718 and began significant expansion of the kingdom of dahomey. In the 17th century, polities across this region maintained political control largely through ceremonial rites that incorporated atlantic wealth as symbols of power. It benefited from terrain sufficiently unforested and free of the tsetse fly and other diseasecarrying insects to allow for the breeding of horses. Slave trade booklet the national archives home page. Dahomey and the slave trade work by polanyi britannica. The egba dahomey war was the third of the destructive wars that plagued the yoruba nation in the nineteenth century, proceeding the owuife war. The demography of slave trading, in turn, cannot be discussed in isolation from the economics of the slave trade. Responsibility by karl polanyi in collaboration with abraham rotstein.
Of all published articles, the following were the most read within the past 12 months. Under king agaja17161740 the kingdom of dahomey was expanded. By the time the slave trade ended, the english had transported nearly 1. Dahomey, then, is a type of early or protostate, in the service of the slave trade, organized by military conquest from without, and the civil power was essentially a tributary mechanism. There were at least a few contemporary examples of successful warrior queens, the bestknown of whom was probably nzinga of.
A study of africaneuropean diplomatic relationships, 14001600. Dahomey amazons were a significant part of the military and royal bodyguard of the kingdom of dahomey following the death of agaja in 1740, the empire was defined by significant political struggle although limited largely to within the palace walls and deepening engagement with the slave trade. According to tradition, at the beginning of the 17th century three brothers vied for the kingdom of allada, which, like neighbouring whydah now ouidah, had grown rich on the slave trade. From the 1640s, four inland states near the gulf of guinea were growing in wealth and power from the slave trade. King gezo, dahomey images the abolition of the slave trade. Dahomey and the slave trade, an analysis of an archaic economy. Pdf the kingdom of dahomey rose to power on the slave coast of west africa. The fact that smallscale traders and ordinary peasants and women were now able to successfully participate in trade. Forbes was a british naval officer who, in 184950, undertook two missions to the court of the king of dahomey in an unsuccessful attempt to convince him to end involvement in the. The kingdom of dahomey rose to power on the slave coast of west africa during the tumultuous atlantic era 16th19th centuries ce.
Dahomey, with its commercial center at ouidah, quickly became a major exporter of slaves to europe. Ghezo finally ended dahomey s tributary status to the oyo empire but also dealt with significant domestic dissent and pressure from the british to end the slave trade. The kingdom of oyo, around 300 kilometers 190 miles inland, was the most successful of these kingdoms. Europeans called the bight of beninwhere ouidah is locatedand the surrounding region the slave coast because of its importance in supplying american markets with african laborers. Dahomey and the slave trade, an analysis of an archaic. Their leaders were enticed by the promise of gun sales to organize slave routes and sponsor raids. Dahomey and the slave trade 239 the rise of the slave trade and the emergence of dahomey the section of the west african coast later known as the slave coast was originally discovered by the portuguese in the i470s, but did not become important in the atlantic trade until much later. Benin women explain their kingdoms role in the slave trade. How important were africans to the atlantic slave trade. Dahomey s female troops were not the only martial women of their time. Wonders of the african world episodes slave kingdoms.
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