Asked by caleb

Why did Portugal ship cloth, glass beads, and metal tools to West Africa during the early years of the Renaissance?

These items were needed to barter with Muslim merchants in North Africa.

They used these items to trade for slaves along the African coasts.

These items were needed to help settlers create colonies in the Americas.

They hoped these items would cause the native people of Africa to let them sail their shores.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
They used these items to trade for slaves along the African coasts.

Explanation: Portuguese sailors traded manufactured goods (cloth, glass beads, metal tools) to West African coastal peoples in exchange for slaves, gold, ivory, and other local products during their 15th‑century voyages.