Download or read book Slow Death for Slavery written by Paul E. Lovejoy and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1993-07-01 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the decline of slavery in Northern Nigeria during the first forty years of colonial rule. At the time of the British conquest, the Sokoto Caliphate was one of the largest slave societies in modern history. Rather than emancipate slaves, the colonial state abolished the legal status of slavery, encouraging them to buy their freedom. Many were unable to do so, and slavery was not finally abolished until l936. The authors have written a provocative book, raising doubts over the moral legitimacy of both the Sokoto Caliphate and the colonial state.