Mozambique originally served as a colony of Portugal, all the way up until 1975, when they declared independence. Hence, there is a lot of European influence in Mozambique. The nation originally began as a trading post and re-fueling section for merchant ships. But it soon became a hotspot for a more extensive and inhumane trade: slave trade. As the Portuguese colonized Mozambique, they rounded up the natives and began to enslave them. The slave market was booming at the time and this seemed a great opportunity for Portugal. But this massive slave export began to dwindle away the native population to extremely low amounts. The drop was so horrific that the Portuguese government outlawed slave trade in Mozambique in the early 1800's. However, illegal slave trade continued and it would take a long time before Portugal would be able to completely stop the export of slaves. Once slave trade was abolished, the people of Mozambique began to feel that they deserved more freedoms. the native populations began to band together and fight against the Portuguese. However, it was a futile attempt. In the early 1900's, Portugal increased its taxes on Mozambique and restricted many rights and freedoms of the people. This eventually sparked rebellion. But Portugal's colonization of Mozambique was the starting point for Mozambican nationalism and the driving force behind forming a unified nation.