African slavery arose long before Europeans came to the region in search of slaves. But West African slavery was quite different than what developed in Europe and the Americas. In many West African societies, land was owned by communities, not individuals. Social status and class could not be based on land ownership. Instead, they were based on one's place in the social environment. Slaves were thus part of the family as well as private property. And slavery was not a lifetime status—someone might be born free, made a slave for a few years, and then be free again for the rest of their life.

Slaves typically had many rights. They could marry, own property, and inherit substantial goods from their owner. They could even own slaves themselves. Their children were generally born into freedom, not servitude. Some owners even adopted their slaves as family.

A regional slave trade developed. It followed ancient caravan routes across the Sahara to the Mediterranean and Arab world. When Europeans turned to West Africa as a source of slaves in the 15th century, they tapped into this existing trade network. Some African rulers took advantage of this opportunity. They earned great profits by controlling the regional slave trade.

Typically, slaves were made of war captives, criminals, and people in debt. But the great demand for slaves in America required new ways to enslave Africans. Soon slave traders turned to outright kidnapping and armed raids. These methods provided steady supply of Africans to the slave market in the Americas.