The text mentions that some African kingdoms fought to keep the slave trade going. Why would African kingdoms want to continue the slave trade, and how does that challenge some common assumptions about the trade? Your answer

Some African kingdoms participated in the slave trade because they saw it as an opportunity to gain wealth and power. They would capture and sell other Africans to European traders, who would then transport them to the Americas and other parts of the world. This challenges the assumption that all African involvement in the slave trade was purely voluntary or that African kingdoms were solely victims of the trade. In reality, some African kingdoms actively engaged in the slave trade for economic and political gain.