Transatlantic Slave Trade

/ ˌtræn.zætˈlæn.t̬ɪk ˈsleɪv ˌtreɪd / history /

RE: AFRICA, HUMAN RIGHTS, SLAVERY, SOCIETY

The Transatlantic Slave Trade was the forced movement of millions of African people across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. European powers—including Britain, Portugal, France, Spain, and the Netherlands—captured or purchased African men, women, and children, then transported them in brutal conditions to work as slaves, mainly on plantations in the Caribbean, North America, and South America.

This trade formed one part of a system known as the triangular trade: European goods were shipped to Africa, enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas, and goods like sugar, cotton, and tobacco were then sent back to Europe. The Transatlantic Slave Trade was driven by profit and sustained by violence, with devastating effects on African societies and generations of descendants. Its legacy continues to shape global inequalities, systemic racism, and calls for justice, remembrance, and reparations.

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