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Difficulty: EasyWest African Societies and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Read the passage below.

"Each day the traders are kidnapping our people—children of this country, sons of our nobles and vassals, even people of our own family... This corruption and depravity are so widespread that our land is entirely depopulated... It is our wish that this Kingdom not be a place for the trade or transport of slaves."
— King Afonso I of Kongo, letter to the King of Portugal, 1526

Which of the following early transatlantic developments is best illustrated by the excerpt?

  1. A
    The establishment of the encomienda system within West African coastal states
  2. B
    The flow of American agricultural products like maize into West African economies
  3. The growth of European trade networks destabilizing West African societiesAnswer
  4. D
    The transition from indentured servitude to hereditary slavery in European colonies

Answer

The growth of European trade networks destabilizing West African societies
The correct answer is correct because King Afonso's letter explicitly complains about traders kidnapping his subjects and causing depopulation and corruption, which illustrates how early Portuguese trade networks destabilized West African kingdoms.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document, identifying the author (King Afonso I of Kongo), the recipient (King of Portugal), the date (1526), and the core message.
The author is protesting the kidnapping and trading of Kongolese people by European merchants, which is causing severe depopulation and corruption.
This establishes the historical context of early Portuguese trade along the West African coast.
2
Evaluate the answer choices based on the document's content and Period 1 historical context.
The option describing European trade networks destabilizing West African societies directly matches the text's description of kidnapping and depopulation.
This isolates the correct choice while matching the central theme of early Portuguese commercial impacts.

Key Concept

Early European trade networks, particularly Portuguese merchant activity along the African coast, established the transatlantic slave trade and had profound destabilizing effects on West African societies.
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Topics

West African Societies and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

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