How did the middle Passage begin?

Question

The Middle Passage began as demand to transport goods across the Atlantic grew
The Middle Passage began as a result of European countries competing with each other for resources
The Middle Passage began as demand for enslaved labor grew in the Americas in order to cut labor cysts
The Middle Passage began when creating colonies became a point of national pride

Answer 1

The Middle Passage began primarily as a result of the growing demand for enslaved labor in the Americas to support plantation economies, particularly for crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton. As European colonies expanded and needed a large, expendable labor force to cultivate these crops, the transatlantic slave trade emerged as a means to supply that labor. This demand led to the forcible transportation of millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean under dire and inhumane conditions, which is referred to as the Middle Passage. Thus, the most accurate statement regarding the beginning of the Middle Passage is: "The Middle Passage began as demand for enslaved labor grew in the Americas in order to cut labor costs."