Key learning points

1. West African kingdoms were rich in culture and wealth due to trade across the Sahel.
2. African Kingdoms traded in people who were enslaved due to war.
3. The arrival of Europeans meant an increase in wars in West Africa leading to more people being enslaved.
4. Many West African kingdoms became reliant on trade with the Europeans which destabilised the African kingdoms.
5. The Transatlantic trade exacerbated the trade in weapons and people leading to collapse of many kingdoms.

Common misconception

Keywords

• Prisoners of war - prisoners of war are people captured by the opposing side during a war

• Indentured labour - indentured labour is a system where someone is made to work without pay for a set period of time

• Chattel slavery - chattel slavery is when people become legal property and cannot be freed without the permission of their slave holder

• Enslaved people - enslaved people are people who have been forced to work without pay, lose their freedom and become the property of another person

• Society - a society is a large group of people who live within the same area and usually share similar cultures and beliefs