- A trade system in the 16th century between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Raw material and natural resources were traded for manufactured goods and enslaved people from Africa.

The trade system you are referring to is commonly known as the Triangle Trade or the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This system operated from the late 16th century until the 19th century and involved three main regions: Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

1. From Europe to Africa: European traders would set sail from ports in nations such as England, France, Portugal, and Spain to West Africa. They exchanged manufactured goods, such as textiles, firearms, rum, and metal goods, for enslaved Africans.

2. From Africa to the Americas: The next leg of the triangle involved the transportation of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. This journey, known as the Middle Passage, was notorious for its brutal conditions, high mortality rates, and dehumanizing treatment of enslaved individuals. Once in the Americas, enslaved people were sold to work on plantations and in mines.

3. From the Americas to Europe: The final leg of the triangle involved the shipment of raw materials and natural resources back to Europe. These included sugar, tobacco, cotton, coffee, and other commodities produced by enslaved labor in the Americas. European nations profited immensely from these goods, which fueled their economies and contributed to the growth of global trade networks.

The Triangle Trade had profound and lasting impacts on the societies and economies involved, contributing to the expansion of European colonial empires, the development of the modern economy, and the establishment of systemic racial inequalities that persist to this day.