Question

source 6.4 the slave trade and the kingdom of asante
osei bonsu | conversation with joseph dupuis | 1820

ow,\ said the king, after a pause, \i have another palaver, and you must help me to talk it. a long time ago the great king of england liked plenty of trade, more than now; then many ships came, and they bought ivory, gold, and slaves; but now he will not let the ships come as before, and the people buy gold and ivory only. this is what i have in my head, so now tell me truly, like a friend, why does the king do so?\ \his majesty’s question,\ i replied, \was connected with a great palaver, which my instructions did not authorise me to discuss. i had nothing to say regarding the slave trade.\ \i know that too,\ retorted the king, \because, if my master liked that trade, you would have told me so before. i only want to hear what you think as a friend; this is not like the other palavers.\ i was confessedly at a loss for an argument that might pass as a satisfactory reason, and the sequel proved that my doubts were not groundless. the king did not deem it plausible, that this obnoxious traffic should have been abolished from motives of humanity alone, neither would he admit that it lessened the number either of domestic or foreign wars
21 multiple choice 1 point
according to osei bonsu, why do muslim traders see the slave trade as a religious good?
the quran describes slaves as the inheritors of heaven
muhammad himself had been a slave when he received his revelations
slavery stopped criminals from sinning again
the conversion of slaves helped to spread islam in west africa
22 multiple choice 1 point
for osei bonsu, why was the slave trade actually good for those sold into slavery?
without the slave trade, his subjects would have to care for too many wives
without the slave trade, he would have to put prisoners of war to death because his kingdom lacked the resources to feed them
the slave trade protected slaves from exposure to new religions
the slave trade provided opportunities for the slaves to learn new trades

Explanation:

Question 21

To determine the answer, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The Quran does not describe slaves as inheritors of Heaven. This is incorrect.
• Option 2: Muhammad was not a slave when he received revelations. This is false.
• Option 3: There's no Islamic teaching that slavery stops criminals from sinning again in this context.
• Option 4: Muslim traders saw the slave trade as a religious good because converting slaves to Islam helped spread Islam in West Africa. This aligns with the role of the slave trade in religious propagation in the region.

Analyzing each option for Osei Bonsu's view:

• Option 1: The text doesn't mention caring for wives in relation to the slave trade.
• Option 2: Osei Bonsu's view was that without the slave trade, prisoners of war would be put to death due to lack of resources to feed them. So the slave trade saved their lives.
• Option 3: The text doesn't discuss protecting slaves from new religions.
• Option 4: The text doesn't focus on slaves learning new trades as a benefit.

Answer:

D. The conversion of slaves helped to spread Islam in West Africa

Question 22