British Imperialism In Lagos

The British colonial government in Lagos did not have local support to abolish domestic slavery because it would upset and cause conflict with the individuals of power in Lagos. Rather, the British used a variety of terms to describe slavery, for example “[they] insisted that ‘domestic’ slavery in Africa was ‘benign’ or ‘mild’, and that slaves should be regarded as ‘servants,’ ‘serfs’ or ‘family retainers,’ rather than downtrodden beasts of burden.” The British feared that upsetting the regional social system and structure would cause a social revolution in the city. This proves that the British walked a fine line between their own government policies, which has abolished slavery and the social power of elite Africans of the city and interior.
Different British authorizes wrote in letters home that they were having trouble with local chiefs because they quarreled with the chiefs on the abolition of domestic slavery. In the conflict over the abolition of slavery, the British feared losing control of the native population if the followed their policy of abolishing slavery. The British knew that this was a very of decision because they wanted to “satisfy…[their] the sense of justice and [being] the master at the same time.” The British wanted to have control of the native population, however, they knew that they would not have control if they abolished domestic slavery. Colonial authorities formed a view of slavery because they wanted to minimize risk, but at the same time, they also knew that they had to justify their own colonial practices towards the natives of Lagos.
The British were not only walking a very fine line between what their government policy and attempting to avoid conflict with the native population.
They also had to justify their own colonial treatment of the native’s population. In eighteen fifty-one, the British believed that their ability “intervene…[was] beyond “persuasion, negotiation and other peaceful means.” This reveals that the British know what they were doing was wrong. However, the wealth of Lagos contrasted British actions for the fact that they have taken the city to create wealth for Britain through the city itself. They wanted to continue to have this wealth otherwise there was no reason to colonialize the city or region. They knew that the geographical location of the city was a place for a high volume of trade. The British faced the problem of wanting to promote legitimate trade. The reason the British did this was “[the thought that through] the encouragement of legitimate trade…[would] protect British and British immigrants interest in the city.” This allowed the idea for the British to use contract labor, which there was a very fine line between British contract labor and slavery. At the start of British intervention at Lagos colonial authority’s worked with their government mandated abolition of slavery, and attempted to work with the native population on not resentencing British policy. For the fact that one of largest sources of conflict was the long-term resistance of African elites. The
British knew that their hegemony was treated by the contention of slavery and would tarnish their image with western powers—who at this point had abolished slavery by eighteen fifty-one when the British took the city.
Another source of conflict for the British was fugitive slaves in the city.
It caused problems between the colonial administration and the native population. This was a typical problem across the city of Lagos and it created an anti-British feeling among the native population in the city and the interior. It was another was a source of conflict for the elite African, who made their wealth on the slave trade and who owned slaves, and the colonial administration. Milliner (full name), who was in charge at Lagos, believe that the fugitive slave problem was a logistical issue to overcome. The fact that the British went with “Freeman’s policy of not returning slaves to their masters despite the difficulty the policy brought to the administration.” The British did in a sense work with their promise of anti-slavery even through it caused conflict with native elites. However, it was still not a very well-functioning policy. The reason that Freedom’s policy was used was the fact that the British were willing to take the fugitive slaves and use them for British labor. The British’s policy was for “fugitive slaves… [to be] nothing more than a central labor pool organized for the interest of British commerce at Lagos.” The British understood that they could exploit the fugitive slaves for labor rather than giving the fugitive slaves back to their masters. This reveals the importance for the British to make a profit from Lagos and they were willing to exploit the domestic slaves of
the city and region to have cheap labor.
However, there were moments when fugitive slaves were returned to elite Africans because these where cases were if the British kept the slaves it would lead to complications with the elite Africans. The British goal for slavery in Lagos was simply to manipulate the system to profit from the exploitation of fugitive slaves. Only in cases where conflict was possible with the elite Africans where the slaves were given back to their masters. This meant that British Missionaries and Consuls intervened in the relationships between master and slavery on selective bases. It reveals that in the city of Lagos the slave trade was built into the structure of the city. This meant that the British used the slave trade to their advantage. Rather than standing with their principle of anti-slavery, they instead used their policies in governing the city to take fugitive slaves and place them under British labor contracts which were simply an exploitation of the fugitive slaves. This allowed the British to have cheap labor and make a profit off the trade at Lagos.
The city of Lagos’ wealth was created through the slave trade and this wealth enticed the British to colonialize the city. The reason that the slave trade was center on Lagos is the geographical location of the city. It is through the combination of geography and history that affected the formation of the city. The city's wealth grew upon the expansion of the slave trade to the city and this created European, specifically British, interest in the city. The reason that the slave trade center in the city was that Lagos had different types of trade and trade route to the city already. It was the city’s geography that allowed it to become the economic center of the region. This history of geography and an economic center for trade gives a complexity to Lago's history. The history of the city cannot be separated from its location. This creates a very rich and complex history of the city and it reveals how central location is to the formation to Lagos, Nigeria.