Which statement investigates the origin of the transatlantic trade network?

A. The transatlantic trade network originated with the increased demand for enslaved labor in the Americas.
B. The transatlantic trade network originated with the growth of mercantilism and the need to transport goods across the Atlantic Ocean.
C. The transatlantic trade network originated with the growth of nationalism, as countries amassed colonies as a symbol of power.
D. The transatlantic trade network originated as a response to power imbalances between the colonies and their mother countries.

A. The transatlantic trade network originated with the increased demand for enslaved labor in the Americas.

Use the text excerpt to answer the question.

Some historians are convinced that the expansion of slavery was linked to profits planters made from growing cash crops such as tobacco, rice, indigo, and sugar. By the eighteenth century the sugar islands in the Caribbean served as a major market place for enslaved people. The sugar crop and enslaved harvesting of the crop were a major income source for plantation owners in the Caribbean.

Which of the following accurately investigates the reasons why the African slave trade spread to the Caribbeans?

A. The growing demand for sugar encouraged plantation owners to purchase enslaved people to increase their profits.
B. The demand to colonize newly conquered lands in Portugal and Britain prompted landowners to purchase enslaved people.
C. The demand for rice rose during the seventeenth century, which increased the demand of enslaved people.
D. African slave traders exported enslaved people to the Caribbean in exchange for more fertile plantation land.

A. The growing demand for sugar encouraged plantation owners to purchase enslaved people to increase their profits.

Imagine you investigated the African slave trade. Which of the following would provide the best definition of African slave trade?

A. the sale and exportation of enslaved people from Africa to harvest cash crops for profit
B. the trade of enslaved people to Africa for use in intensive labor projects
C. the sale and transportation of enslaved people from the Caribbeans to Brazil to harvest sugar
D. the route enslaved people took to gain better work and living conditions

A. the sale and exportation of enslaved people from Africa to harvest cash crops for profit

B. The transatlantic trade network originated with the growth of mercantilism and the need to transport goods across the Atlantic Ocean.

To determine which statement investigates the origin of the transatlantic trade network, we need to analyze the options and consider their relevance to the topic.

A. The statement suggests that the transatlantic trade network originated with the increased demand for enslaved labor in the Americas. This option focuses on the economic aspect of the trade network and its association with the forced labor system.

B. The statement states that the transatlantic trade network originated with the growth of mercantilism and the need to transport goods across the Atlantic Ocean. This option highlights the economic motive behind the establishment and expansion of the trade network.

C. The statement proposes that the transatlantic trade network originated with the growth of nationalism and how countries used colonies to display their power. This option considers the political aspect of the trade network and its connection to imperialistic ambitions.

D. The statement suggests that the transatlantic trade network originated as a response to power imbalances between the colonies and their mother countries. This option focuses on the power dynamics between the colonizers and the colonies, suggesting that the trade network emerged as a means to address and exploit these imbalances.

After analyzing these options, it becomes clear that option B, "The transatlantic trade network originated with the growth of mercantilism and the need to transport goods across the Atlantic Ocean," is the most accurate statement that investigates the origin of the transatlantic trade network. This option emphasizes the economic and logistical motivations behind the formation of the trading network, highlighting the exchange of goods and wealth as its primary driving force.