Portuguese traders amplified the slave trade by establishing trading posts along the West African coast, capturing Africans through raids and warfare, and transporting them across the Atlantic Ocean to the Portuguese colonies in the Americas. They also introduced a system known as "factories" to gather and hold slaves before shipment, established alliances with local African rulers to facilitate the capture and sale of slaves, and developed a sophisticated trade network that supplied slaves to European colonies throughout the Americas.
The Portuguese traders amplified the slave trade through a combination of factors, including their early exploration of Africa, establishment of trade fortresses, development of alliances with African kingdoms, and the introduction of the plantation system. These actions enabled them to capture and transport large numbers of African slaves to the Americas.
