The Atlantic Slave Trade Changes in African life during the era of the slave trade constituted an important element in the economic and technological development of Africa. Although the Atlantic slave trade had a negative effect on both the economy and technology, it is important to understand that slavery was not a new concept to Africa. Indeed, internal slavery existed in Africa for many years. Slaves included prisoners of war, kidnapped men, adulterers, and other criminals and outcasts. However, the number of people held in slavery in Africa was very small, as no economic or social system had developed to exploit them (Manning 97). The new system, the Atlantic slave trade, became very different from early African slavery. The influence of the Atlantic slave trade brought radical changes to Africa's economy. At the time of the Atlantic slave trade, Africa was an area that had far-reaching interests based on agriculture, industry, and trade (Curtin 54). Complex stratified societies based on settled village agriculture developed across the continent. “Essentially agricultural, the peoples of Africa have shown a remarkable degree of specialization in this ancient economic activity,” writes John Hope Franklin, author of From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans (p. 18). In addition to agriculture, art was a significant area of ​​the economic community. Even less complex communities included some with different expertise...