C. Slavery existed in Africa before it existed in Europe.
Previous to European contact, slavery had long been a part of African culture. African laws and authority figures recognized slavery and owners rights to alienate slaves, if they so pleased. Slavery had been extremely important in the medieval empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. In these empires, slave exports had provided and allowed the export of gold. Although African slavery was not a benign institution, slaves in Africa were used in a wider variety of ways than in the New World: they were employed as agricultural workers, soldiers, servants, and officials. During the early years of enslavement, African slaves usually worked under supervision. Then many became "allotment slaves," who worked five or six days until about 2 p.m. on the master's lands, and in the evenings and on their days off, worked their own plots. In the third stage settled slaves spent most of their time working their land in exchange for a fixed obligation, usually what it took to feed an adult male for a year.
