Question

Which evidence best supports the authors' claim and purpose?

"Simple enough; but this trade up and down the Atlantic coast was part of a much larger world system."
"Beekman's trade, for example, could cut out Europe entirely."
"Africans who sold other Africans as slaves insisted on being paid in fabrics from India."
"What could the Europeans use to buy Indian cloth?

Answer 1

"Africans who sold other Africans as slaves insisted on being paid in fabrics from India."

Why: this specific detail shows the Atlantic slave trade was tied to long-distance trade with India, directly supporting the authors' claim that coastal trade was part of a much larger global system (and their purpose of demonstrating those global connections).