ABSTRACT
It is necessary to review the influences which have operated in the past to modify profoundly the whole outlook of large sections of the peoples of Africa; for centuries past various elements have been at work to break down the primitive social scheme. The early settlements on the coast were presumably content to carry off members of tribes living near them, and it seems unlikely that raids far inland were attempted to any great extent before the nineteenth century. The structure of primitive tribal society had in itself much to be said for it, and as an experiment in government must be considered a decided success in its elementary degree. A subsidiary aspect of the Arab slave trade was the initiation of the African into the system; subordinates were wanted for the raiding expeditions, and allies among the native tribes were useful sources of additional numbers.
