The Slave Trade - GCSE History Definition

Slavery and enslavement has existed throughout history and all across the world. However, the term the Slave Trade usually refers to the transatlantic slave triangle. This was a brutal system involving millions of African people being captured, sold, and transported across the Atlantic Ocean to North and South America and the Caribbean between the 16th and 19th centuries. There, they were bought and sold like cattle and forced to work without pay in terrible conditions on large farms called plantations, mines, and as domestic servants. This trade in humans was a key part of what is called the "Triangular Trade," which involved ships carrying goods from Europe to Africa, then taking enslaved Africans to the Americas, and finally bringing products like sugar, cotton, and tobacco back to Europe. The Slave Trade caused immense suffering and had a long-lasting impact on societies around the world, shaping cultures and economies.