The Middle Passage
When European powers became involved in the Atlantic slave trade, they played a major role in turning human trafficking into a large, organized system. At first, Europeans came to West Africa looking for gold, spices, and trade opportunities. But as their colonies in the Americas grew, they wanted a cheap and controlled labor force. This led them to force millions of African people into slavery. European countries such as Portugal, Spain, Britain, France, and the Netherlands built trading posts and forts along the West African coastline. These structures were used to store goods, negotiate with African traders, and later hold captured Africans before they were forced onto ships. European ships brought items like guns, cloth, metal tools, and alcohol to trade for enslaved people. This created a cycle that encouraged more violence and conflict in some African regions. Once captured, African men, women, and children were forced onto European ships for the long jou...