History of the Slave Trade


The labor-intensive agriculture of the New World demanded a large workforce. Crops such as sugar cane, tobacco and cotton required an unlimited and inexpensive supply of strong backs to assure timely production for the European market. Slaves from Africa offered the solution. The slave trade between Western Africa and the America's reached its peak in the Mid-18th century when it is estimated that over 80,000 Africans yearly crossed the Atlantic to spend the rest of their lives in chains.  The journey to America was very harsh on the slaves.  They traveled on big, brown, rocky boats and slept on old rusty platforms.  Conditions were unsanitary and many slaves did not survive the trip.  Once in America, the slaves were sold and forced to work in the fields, mostly to white land owners.  Many times they were separated from their families. It was a hard life.
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