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Why Did Portugal Build a Fortress on the Gold Coast? - The Negotiated Construction of Elmina Castle | Sleepy Facts About History
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When looking at photographs of Elmina Castle today, it is easy to assume the massive whitewashed walls were built by European conquerors who simply took what they wanted. It is just as easy to assume the fortress was always intended for the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved people. The actual history of how the castle came to stand on the Ghanaian coast is more complicated and unsettling. In 1482, a Portuguese expedition arrived on the Gold Coast carrying pre-cut stone and a formal…
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