Causes of the Decline of the East African Slave Trade (18.7.5) | IB History SL

The East African slave trade, which once saw countless individuals forced into bondage, witnessed a marked decline in the 19th century due to a complex tapestry of social, political, and economic changes.

Humanitarian Factors

Emergence of Anti-Slavery Sentiment

The late 18th and early 19th centuries saw a burgeoning awareness of human rights in Europe, which sparked a moral opposition to slavery.
Works of philosophers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who emphasised natural rights and individual liberty, laid the ideological groundwork that challenged the ethical foundations of slavery.

Legislative Milestones

Britain's Abolition of the Slave Trade Act (1807) and Slavery Abolition Act (1833) reflected changing attitudes and exerted international pressure.
Other European nations, influenced by Britain's stance and facing internal humanitarian pressures, began enacting similar laws.

The Role of Humanitarian Advocates

Individuals such as William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson were pivotal in swaying public opinion and the British Parliament against the slave trade.
These advocates formed societies that lobbied tirelessly for legislative change and created a groundswell of support for abolition.

Influence of Missionaries

Evangelical Missionary Efforts

The establishment of missionary societies, such as the Church Missionary Society, played a crucial role in humanitarian efforts.
Missionaries' accounts of the brutalities of the slave trade were published and widely read in Europe, stirring public outrage.

Impacts on Local Societies

Missionaries engaged in converting Africans to Christianity, which often included imparting Western moral values that were antithetical to slavery.
They also contributed to the founding of mission stations, which became centres for anti-slavery thought and education.

Livingstone's Crusade

David Livingstone, one of the most famous missionaries and explorers, relentlessly campaigned for the end of the East African slave trade.
His explorations and subsequent lectures in Britain highlighted the horrors of the trade, rallying public and governmental support for abolition.

Colonial Expansion

The Scramble for Africa

The partitioning of Africa among European powers during the Berlin Conference aimed at establishing colonial rule also impacted the slave trade.
Colonial governments began to perceive the slave trade as a hindrance to their control and the economic development of their new territories.

Administrative and Military Disruption

Colonial administrations, particularly the British, implemented policies to disrupt the slave trade, including patrols and the establishment of courts to prosecute slave traders.
The presence of colonial military forces along trade routes and in key port cities decreased the operational capacity of slave traders.

Closing of Markets

Shifts in Global Labour Demands

The industrial revolution led to a transformation in labour models, from agrarian slave labour to industrial wage labour, decreasing reliance on slave trade.
The economic inefficiency of slave labour in an increasingly mechanised and industrial world contributed to its decline.

Abolition in the Americas

The conclusion of the American Civil War in 1865 and the passing of the 13th Amendment resulted in the formal abolition of slavery in the United States, closing a major market.
The Golden Law in Brazil (1888) not only closed the last significant Atlantic market but also had a ripple effect, signalling the international unacceptability of the trade.

Impact of the Suez Canal

The opening of the Suez Canal altered the direction of maritime trade, reducing the strategic and economic importance of East African slave routes.

Economic Unviability

The Cost of Slave Procurement

The increasing difficulty of procuring slaves due to military, legislative, and social barriers raised the costs associated with the trade.
The declining profitability of slave-dependent commodities in the international market further diminished the trade's economic appeal.

Emergence of Alternative Economies

The introduction of cash crops such as cloves in Zanzibar and the development of legitimate commerce offered more sustainable and less controversial economic opportunities.
Colonial administrations promoted these alternative economies to supplant the slave trade, incentivising local rulers and traders to engage in legal commerce.

International Treaties and Agreements

Anglo-Omani Treaties

The series of treaties between the British and the Sultanate of Oman, which had control over Zanzibar, a major slave market, led to a gradual suppression of the trade.
These treaties included provisions that limited and eventually abolished the legal standing of the slave trade in the region.

The Role of International Conferences

Conferences like the Brussels Conference Act of 1890, where European powers agreed on measures to combat the slave trade, exemplified the international commitment to ending the practice.

Societal Transformation

African Resistance and Revolts

Resistance to slave capturing, both passive and active, by African communities disrupted the supply chains.
Revolts in slave caravans and on plantations further destabilised the trade and increased the risks for traders.

Changing African Leadership

Some African leaders began to recognise the long-term detriment of the slave trade to their societies.
Enlightened self-interest led certain rulers to seek alternative alliances and economic arrangements with Europeans.

Impact of Islamic Reforms

Islamic reform movements in Africa, which often promoted the idea of an Islamic community in which enslavement of fellow Muslims was reprehensible, contributed to the undermining of the trade among Muslim populations.

The cumulative effect of these dynamics precipitated a steady decline of the East African slave trade, leading to its eventual cessation. As historical actors—from statesmen and activists to missionaries and colonists—acted upon their economic interests and moral convictions, the trade that had once seemed intractable became untenable.

FAQ

Significant revolts and uprisings did occur and contributed to undermining the East African slave trade. Slave resistance was a constant part of the trade and took many forms, from individual acts of defiance to organised rebellions. One notable uprising was the Zanj Rebellion from 869 to 883 in the Mesopotamian region, where enslaved East Africans, known as Zanj, rebelled against the Abbasid Caliphate. Though this was much earlier than the period in question, it set a precedent for resistance. In the 19th century, the frequency of such rebellions increased, and the fear of uprisings added to the growing concerns about the stability and sustainability of the slave trade system.

Technological advancements in the 19th century had a profound impact on the East African slave trade. The industrial revolution brought about new machinery that reduced the need for manual labour, decreasing the demand for slaves in production and agricultural processes. The steamship and the telegraph, for instance, allowed for quicker and more efficient control and communication over longer distances, enabling anti-slavery patrols to be more effective in intercepting slave ships. Moreover, the development of weapons like the Maxim gun gave European colonial forces a military advantage over local slave traders, disrupting the trade's networks and supply routes.

The legal measures taken by colonial governments in East Africa were often more directly interventionist compared to those against the Atlantic trade. In the Atlantic, much of the initial effort focused on legislation that banned the trade, such as the British Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. In East Africa, colonial powers often had to engage in more direct actions, such as naval patrols, to enforce anti-slavery laws due to the lack of established local governance structures willing or able to enforce such measures. They also negotiated treaties with local rulers to limit or end the trade and employed military force to disrupt slave-trading networks.

Local African leaders were integral to the decline of the East African slave trade. While some leaders had initially profited from the trade, others recognised its destructive impact on their societies. As European anti-slavery sentiment grew, African leaders were increasingly pressured to sign treaties that curtailed or ended their participation in the slave trade. For example, Sultan Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar signed an agreement with Britain in 1873 to end the slave market in Zanzibar, which was a major step towards the trade's decline. Additionally, African rulers began to shift their economic focus towards more sustainable and internationally acceptable forms of trade, realising the benefits of aligning with European commercial interests.

The end of the East African slave trade, while celebrated as a moral victory, did have some unforeseen negative consequences for local societies. The abrupt disruption of the slave-based economy without the establishment of sufficient alternative livelihoods led to economic hardship for those who had depended on it for their livelihood. Moreover, former slaves often found themselves in poverty, lacking education or resources to integrate into free economies. Additionally, the enforcement of anti-slavery measures by colonial powers sometimes resulted in punitive actions against local populations, such as forced relocations and other harsh penalties for those caught in the transition. This period also marked the beginning of more direct colonial rule, which brought its own set of challenges and exploitations.

Practice Questions

How did the changing economic landscape in the 19th century contribute to the decline of the East African slave trade?

The 19th-century economic transformation, driven by industrialisation, significantly undermined the East African slave trade. The shift from agrarian economies reliant on slave labour to industrial economies based on wage labour made the slave trade economically redundant. As industrialised nations moved towards more efficient and less morally reprehensible wage labour systems, the demand for slaves waned. The development of alternative, legitimate commerce in colonies and the increased cost of procuring slaves due to resistance and legislative barriers further contributed to the trade's decline. These economic changes were crucial in reducing the profitability and viability of the East African slave trade.

Evaluate the extent to which humanitarian factors contributed to the decline of the East African slave trade in the 19th century.

Humanitarian factors played a significant role in the decline of the East African slave trade. The rise of moral opposition to slavery, fuelled by Enlightenment thinking, was instrumental in swaying public opinion and shaping legislative action against the trade. Advocacy by groups like the Anti-Slavery Society and individuals such as David Livingstone brought the issue to the forefront of social consciousness. Furthermore, legislation such as Britain's Slave Trade Act of 1807 sent ripples across the globe, influencing other nations to adopt similar measures. These efforts signified a profound shift in ethical perceptions, which directly impacted the operation and eventual decline of the trade.

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