Answer to Question #256145 in History for lexy

Question

• Why were Africans enslaved as chattel, as opposed to other people?

Answer 1

Chattel slavery refers to a civil relationship in which one person has absolute power over the life, fortune, and liberty of another. In many African communities, where land could not be owned, the enslavement of individuals was used as a means to increase the influence a person had and expand connections. This made slaves a permanent part of a master's lineage, and the children of slaves could become closely connected with the larger family ties. As slaves, their only purpose is for house and farm labor and sex. Children of chattel slaves are born the property of their parents' masters. Most slaves in Africa were captured in wars or in surprise raids on villages. Adults were bound and gagged and infants were sometimes thrown into sacks. In Senegambia, the Guinea Coast, and the Slave Coasts of West Africa, war was the most important source of slaves.