Carney And Rosomoff s The Shadow Of Slavery - 1587 Words

Carney and Rosomoff’s In the Shadow of Slavery is a historical account of the role foodstuff, both botanical and animal, from Africa played in the Columbian Exchange. The book begins by discussing Africa’s agricultural history and trade with the Old World. It continues with the need for food during the Atlantic slave trade, how African plants came to the New World, and who was responsible for the planting and care of African plants. Carney and Rosomoff deal primarily with the time period in which the Atlantic slave trade occurred, though they do discuss African agricultural history as far back as 10,500 B. P. They focus on the Columbian exchange on the West Coast of Africa and Latin America. The point Carney and Rosomoff are trying†¦show more content†¦The expansion of Islam allowed for the spread of item like coffee and sorghum the Middle East as well as Muslim Spain. African plants like finger millet, tamarind, okra, and castor beans made their way to So uth Asia via two trade routes, one connecting the â€Å"Ethiopian Highlands and the Horn of Africa† and the other connecting the East African Highlands to Zanj.† (Carney, 33) The banana, of Southeast Asian origin, arrived in Africa and became a food staple in African farming. African foods were vital to the support and continuation of the African slave trade. The slave trade created an incredible demand for food both on the West coast of Africa and on the slave ships bound for the Americas. Slaves had to be fed from the time they were captured to the time they arrived at the destination. The food brought from Europe was not suitable for the conditions in tropical Africa. The food necessary to provide for the enslaved, this included plants and live animals, on board the ships was grown and bought in Africa. Significantly, locations of known food supplies along the coast came to be identified by the food available in that location, for example the Rice Coast. The rise in demand for slaves caused the populations of slaves and traders along the West coast of Africa to grow, which increased the demand for food. As a result