King Afonso And Slave Trade

As King Afonso writes to the King of Portugal, he explains how the slave trade has caused a problem between the white men and the natives. Freed men and boys are stolen at night and then sold to the white men as slaves. Once sold, the captured men and boys are branded. When caught by guards, the white men claim they brought the them, but they cannot say by whom. Without any evidence, the guards let them walk away with the captured men and boys. King Afonso knows that the slaves need to be take, but free men should not be. To avoid this predicament, King Afonso passed a law stating that white men must first confront three of Kingdom’s reliable noblemen and officials of the court. These officials include, Dom Pedro Manipinzo, Dom Manuel Manissaba,
and Goncalo Pires. Once cleared through them, the white man is able to take the slaves without any suspicion or doubt. On the other hand, if the approved officials find that the slaves are freed men, then the white man will lose ownership. By giving the white men a license, the slaves will be taken out, and the freed men will be left for the kingdom to live on.