Witnessing African War: Slavery, the Laws of War, and Anglo-American Abolitionism

Abstract

African warfare was a subject of intense controversy in the debate over slavery and abolition that unfolded in Great Britain and the British colonies during the eighteenth century. According to the Roman laws of war, conquerors fighting a just war had the right to enslave and sell defeated enemies to recoup losses suffered in battle. Apologists for slavery in the British colonies frequently invoked conquerors' rights, claiming that planters had purchased slaves from victorious African princes and thus enjoyed legal rights to captured slaves. Abolitionists such as Anthony Benezet, Thomas Clarkson, and Ottobah Cugoano challenged this justification for slavery by arguing that the conduct of many African wars violated the tenets of just war, thus invalidating a conqueror's right to enslave enemies. To prove African slavery wars were unjust, abolitionists documented African warfare, collecting letters from travelers, interviewing witnesses, and publishing their own experiences of capture and enslavement. Eyewitness accounts of African war had a significant effect on the debate over slavery. Many pamphlets and books delved into the details of African conflicts, and parliamentary committees investigating the slave trade devoted considerable attention to the causes and conduct of African wars.