15th century – 19th century
Coastal southwestern Nigeria and the adjacent coast of modern Benin
The Slave Coast was a coastal zone in southwestern Nigeria and the neighboring territory of modern Benin that became a major region of the Atlantic slave trade. Captives were transported from ports including Lagos toward the New World, while European manufactured goods and weapons were exchanged in return for enslaved people and other commodities.
Continue exploring
The Story
The coastal area of southwestern Nigeria and the neighboring coast of the modern country of Benin came to be known as the Slave Coast. Portuguese traders were the first Europeans described as engaging in the regional trade, but Dutch, English, French, and Spanish traders soon participated as well. The coast became integrated into a wider commercial system built around the forced movement of African people.
The trade connected African ports to the Americas and Europe. Enslaved people were loaded onto ships, often at ports such as Lagos, and carried to the New World, where they were sold. Ships then transported cotton, tobacco, sugar, and other raw materials from the Americas to European colonial powers, before manufactured goods, weapons, and other goods were sent to Africa to support another cycle of exchange.
This system caused immense suffering and destabilized societies in Nigeria. Captives were frequently seized through warfare between African groups and sold to European buyers. The extract estimates that as many as 3.5 million Nigerians were sold into slavery during the 400-year trading period, with Yoruba and Ebo people especially affected, alongside Hausa and other groups.
15th century – 19th century
Coastal southwestern Nigeria and the adjacent coast of modern Benin
The Slave Coast was a coastal zone in southwestern Nigeria and the neighboring territory of modern Benin that became a major region of the Atlantic slave trade. Captives were transported from ports including Lagos toward the New World, while European manufactured goods and weapons were exchanged in return for enslaved people and other commodities.
Continue exploring
The Story
The coastal area of southwestern Nigeria and the neighboring coast of the modern country of Benin came to be known as the Slave Coast. Portuguese traders were the first Europeans described as engaging in the regional trade, but Dutch, English, French, and Spanish traders soon participated as well. The coast became integrated into a wider commercial system built around the forced movement of African people.
The trade connected African ports to the Americas and Europe. Enslaved people were loaded onto ships, often at ports such as Lagos, and carried to the New World, where they were sold. Ships then transported cotton, tobacco, sugar, and other raw materials from the Americas to European colonial powers, before manufactured goods, weapons, and other goods were sent to Africa to support another cycle of exchange.
This system caused immense suffering and destabilized societies in Nigeria. Captives were frequently seized through warfare between African groups and sold to European buyers. The extract estimates that as many as 3.5 million Nigerians were sold into slavery during the 400-year trading period, with Yoruba and Ebo people especially affected, alongside Hausa and other groups.