transatlantic slave trade

The transatlantic slave trade was a massive forced migration that occurred from the 16th to the 19th centuries, where over twelve million African men, women, and children were enslaved and transported to the Americas. It involved European traders exchanging goods in African ports for captive Africans, who were then transported across the Atlantic in brutal conditions known as the Middle Passage. Many Africans died during capture, transport to the coast, and the voyage across the Atlantic. The enslaved were sold in the Americas primarily for agricultural labor on plantations producing sugar, tobacco, coffee, cotton, and other cash crops. This trade had catastrophic effects on African societies and was a key factor in shaping economic and social systems in Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It officially ended in the 19th century, although illegal trading continued for some time. The trade left long-lasting impacts including destabilization of Africa and institutionalized racial inequalities in the Americas.