There are two things that have always haunted me: the brutality of the European traders and the stories I've heard about Africans selling other Africans into slavery.
Henry Louis GatesRead
The sad truth is that without complex business partnerships between African elites and European traders and commercial agents, the slave trade to the New World would have been impossible, at least on the scale it occurred.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the critical role of collaboration between African elites and European traders in facilitating the slave trade.
Henry Louis Gates emphasizes that the large-scale transatlantic slave trade was not solely a product of European demand but required complex partnerships with African elites who played a crucial role in the supply chain. This collaboration was essential for the functioning of the trade, and understanding this dynamic is important for comprehending the historical context of slavery and its economic ramifications.
Themes
Slave TradeAfrican ElitesEuropean TradersHistoryPartnership
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture discussing the economic impacts of slavery, one might use the quote to illustrate the complexities of historical trade relationships.
More from Henry Louis Gates
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In America there is institutional racism that we all inherit and participate in, like breathing the air in this room - and we have to become sensitive to it.
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In fact, the class divide in the black community is now seen by some as a permanent aspect of our existence.
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The historical basis for the gap between the black middle class and underclass shows that ending discrimination, by itself, would not eradicate black poverty and dysfunction. We also need intervention to promulgate a middle-class ethic of success among the poor, while expanding opportunities for economic betterment.
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