ABSTRACT
Africa’s trade in slaves with the rest of the world declined in the nineteenth century, at least with respect to the West, yet at the same time owning slaves became a sign of social status in Africa south of the Sahara. Ironically, one was the corollary of the other. As outside markets closed, beginning with the Atlantic market, it was advantageous to dump unsold slave “stock” on the domestic market. Domestic economies had to reorient toward production of raw materials that were in demand in Africa (cotton, sugar cane, grain, etc.) and in industrialized countries (vegetable oils, dye wood, gum, etc.), or adopt a predatory economy that was maintained and accentuated by the sale of European-made guns. Both production and predation created great demand for slaves, who were used as laborers, servants, and soldiers.
