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In the nineteenth century, Angola, in West Central Africa, emerged as the principal source of slaves for the Americas, changing the social landscape on both sides of the Atlantic. However, scholars largely ignore the inland origins of these Africans, the causes for their enslavement, and the methods through which they were captured. This project will trace the origins of slaves leaving Angola in the nineteenth century and examine the principal causes and methods of their enslavement based on a variety of sources, including slave registers, customs records, travelers' accounts, lists of liberated Africans, and correspondence between British naval officers. The project results will be disseminated in the form of a book published by a major university press. They will show that the majority of the slaves leaving Angola in the nineteenth century came from regions relatively close to the coast and were victims of internal conflicts, judicial proceedings, and insolvent debts.