: Improvements in maritime navigation and shipbuilding allowed for more frequent and larger voyages across the Middle Passage. Impact on West African States
: European powers built fortified trading posts, such as Elmina Castle, to warehouse captives before shipment. The Rise of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in W...
: The "Gun-Slave Cycle" emerged, where African leaders traded captives for firearms to protect themselves or expand their power. : The trade was a central pillar of
: The trade was a central pillar of the Triangular Trade, linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas in a self-sustaining loop of capital and goods. such as Elmina Castle
: The expansion of sugar, tobacco, and cotton plantations in the Americas created an insatiable need for cheap labor.
: European nations transitioned from using indentured servants to enslaved Africans, who were viewed as a more "permanent" labor source.