The Atlantic Slave Trade

The Atlantic Slave Trade was a brutal system that operated from the 16th to the 19th centuries, involving the forced transport of millions of Africans to the Americas. European traders captured or bought enslaved people and shipped them across the ocean to work on plantations and in mines under inhumane conditions. This trade significantly contributed to the economy of European colonies and the development of modern societies. It caused immense suffering and had lasting impacts on African communities and global history, shaping racial dynamics and social structures that are still felt today.