Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumWest African Societies and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Duarte Pacheco Pereira, a Portuguese explorer and merchant, *Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis*, c. 1508:

'At the mouth of this river... the inhabitants trade in slaves, whom they buy in the interior in exchange for copper bracelets and brass basins... Our merchants buy these slaves from the local rulers and transport them to the castle of São Jorge da Mina, where they sell them to other African merchants in exchange for gold.'

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best describes a key characteristic of the relationship between West African societies and European traders during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries?

  1. A
    West African societies traded agricultural commodities like maize and potatoes to Europe in exchange for enslaved laborers.
  2. B
    West African captives were contracted for a set period of years to earn land grants on Portuguese Atlantic sugar plantations.
  3. West African kingdoms maintained political sovereignty and control over their local trade networks, exchanging captives for specific European goods.Answer
  4. D
    Enslaved Africans were organized under the Spanish encomienda system, which gave West African monarchs legal authority over European colonizers.

Answer

West African kingdoms maintained political sovereignty and control over their local trade networks, exchanging captives for specific European goods.
The correct option is correct because in the early stages of the transatlantic trade (Period 1), European powers did not colonize the West African mainland. Instead, they built commercial relationships with powerful coastal and interior African states that possessed the military power and political organization to dictate the terms of trade, deciding which goods (such as brass and copper) they would accept in exchange for captives.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the historical context and details of the provided primary source.
The excerpt shows Portuguese merchants trading copper bracelets and brass basins for enslaved individuals with West African rulers, then selling them to other African merchants for gold.
This establishes that early European-African contact was commercial, relying on mutual exchange and the existing power structure of West African kingdoms rather than European territorial conquest.
2
Compare the historical facts with the provided options to identify the correct relationship during Period 1.
West African rulers successfully dictated trade terms, demanded specific European imports, and maintained political independence.
This directly supports the conclusion that West African societies retained sovereignty and controlled local commerce during this early stage of the transatlantic trade.

Key Concept

West African Sovereignty and Early Trade Networks
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

West African Societies and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

More questions from this topic