How did West Africans react to the end of the Atlantic slave trade?

ANSWER:
African reaction was gradual, as was the suppression of the slave trade itself. Suppression began in 1808 and continued until the trade finally ended in 1867. Whereas the British and the Americans were among the first to prevent their citizens from engaging in the importation of slaves, the Spanish and Portuguese continued the flow of Africans to the Americas for some time. As the slave trade declined, the value of other trade between Africa and the Atlantic continents continued to climb rapidly. West Africans substituted numerous legitimate exports to replace slaves, particularly palm oil, gold, and ivory. Still, many African states had come to depend on exporting slaves and tried to convince European countries to continue the trade. West Africans also used slaves internally. For example, slave labor contributed significantly to the transport of palm oil. Thus, the end of the slave trade led to many changes in West Africa.