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abolition came as a heavy blow; it
had been a profitable business, but it
had also resulted in increased local
slavery leading to rebellions. Weak
rule, moreover, made former African
kingdoms unable to resist imperial
incursions into their territory.
The British were serious about
stopping the trade and from
1808–1860 deployed a unit of the
British navy, known as the West
Africa Squadron, which captured
1,600 slave ships and released
150,000 Africans, while the U.S.
Navy captured 24 vessels. This
turned out to be an expensive
exercise, costing more than British
trade with Africa was worth; it was
also expensive in terms of
manpower as many men were lost
to disease.
A Concise History of Africa
41
Text-Dependent Questions
1. What precious metal was mined to make the Ghana
Empire very wealthy?
2. What is the name of the famous stool revered by the Ashanti
people?
3. What is the name of the movement which arose in England and
later in the United States to call a stop to the slave trade?