Africa And Africans In The Making Of The Atlantic World, 1400-1680 (studies In Comparative World History)

This book shows how important the African role was in shaping the Atlantic world that developed after the navigational breakthroughs of the fifteenth century. The degree of African initiative displayed in this period is stressed, both by African elites in dealing with the new visitors and trading partners and, even by African slaves in the New World. Evenly divided into sections on Africa and Africans in the New World, this study stresses cultural and institutional backgrounds to Africa and African slaves. Although the book is intended to help Africanists understand how Africans fared in the Americas, its main purpose is to give readers familiar with Afro-American history a fuller and more dynamic vision of Africa, so they can see the African slave as an African and not just as a laborer. Image Table of Contents 2 Preface 3 Abbreviations 5 Maps 6 Source notes for Maps 1-3 8 Introduction 19 Part I - Africans in Africa 24 Chapter 1 - The birth of an Atlantic world 25 Chapter 2 - The development of commerce between Europeans and Africans 41 Chapter 3 - Slavery and African social structure 56 Chapter 4 - The process of enslavement and the slave trade 69 Part II - Africans in the New World 83 Chapter 5 - Africans in colonial Atlantic societies 84 Chapter 6 - Africans and Afro-Americans in the Atlantic world: life and labor 96 Chapter 7 - African cultural groups in the Atlantic world 112 Chapter 8 - Transformations of African culture in the Atlantic world 124 Chapter 9 - African religions and Christianity in the Atlantic world 138 Chapter 10 - Resitance, runaways, and rebels 158 Index 174 The Birth Of An Atlantic World -- The Development Of Commerce Between Europeans And Africans -- Slavery And African Social Structure -- The Process Of Enslavement And The Slave Trade -- Africans In Colonial Atlantic Societies -- Africans And Afro Americans In The Atlantic World: Life And Labor -- African Cultural Groups In The Atlantic World -- Transformations Of African Culture In The Atlantic World -- African Religions And Christianity In The Atlantic World -- Resistance, Runaways, And Rebels. John Thornton. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Shows the importance of the African role in shaping the Atlantic world that developed after the navigational breakthroughs of the 15th century. The degree of African initiative displayed in this period is stressed, both by African elites and African slaves in the New World. The cultural and institutional importance of Africans in shaping the New World is stressed in this study's portrayal of their contributions to Afro-American history from a broader perspective than that of slave laborers.