Final answer:
Whydah's strategic location made it a key player in the slave trade, benefiting economically from trade routes and associated activities. West Africa valued slaves as a measure of wealth and a medium for tax payments, which fueled the slavery economy. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade impacted the Americas greatly, giving rise to plantation economies built on slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
The success of Whydah in bringing so many slaves to freedom was largely due to its strategic location at the end of trade routes where warring factions sold captives. Whydah was a hub for these trade routes, with one originating from the Mali Empire and another from the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo. The enslaved individuals who passed through Whydah were immensely valuable, and the local economy thrived through customs duties, taxes, and the provision of services and goods necessary for the slave trade.
Furthermore, in West Africa, wealth was often measured in the number of slaves owned, and taxes were levied and paid in slaves. The transcontinental slave trade became a significant source of revenue, enriching empires like Benin and Asante. However, the unfortunate consequence was that prisoners of war were commonly enslaved.
The Trans-Atlantic slave trade was notably transformative to the Americas because it served as a massive economic engine, leading to the development of plantation economies heavily reliant on slave labor. Unlike other forms of slavery, where manumission or informing on a master could lead to freedom, transatlantic slavery tended to be perpetual, focusing on maintaining a labor force rather than integrating the freed into society.