Which statement best describes the African slave system before the arrival of the Europeans?

Question

It was primarily based on race.

Children could be bought and sold because their parents were slaves.

Slaves had almost no rights and they were often abused.

Slaves did not always spend their entire life in slavery.

Answer 1

The statement that best describes the African slave system before the arrival of the Europeans is:

Slaves did not always spend their entire life in slavery.

This reflects the realities of slavery in various African societies, where slavery was often more complex and varied than the racialized chattel slavery that developed in the Americas. In some cases, slaves had the possibility of integration into society, could achieve freedom, or could improve their status, unlike the predominantly lifelong and hereditary nature of slavery that characterized the transatlantic slave trade.