Slave-Trade, Christianity and European Imperialism In Nigeria: A Study of the Ante and Post Abolition Periods

Abstract

The approval of Christian founding fathers for African enslavement may be the slave -trade and their active involvement in the trade has vast literatures. They were as beneficiaries of the trade and slave institutions as nations of Europe. What is of paramount concern to this work is the usefulness of African slaves to the missionaries in economic terms, and in the evangelization of Nigeria, in the ante and post abolition periods. This paper argues that African slaves before and after the abolition of slavery/slave-trade were baked into utility resource for European imperialism and proselytizers of Nigeria into Christianity.
This development had far reaching consequences on westernization of black personality and image spiritually, socially and culturally. These combined in undermining African resistance to European exploitation, and paved unhindered road for European colonialism and imperialism. The methodology adopted for this work is unit analysis, using the historical method for its presentation.