Triangular Trade- Describe the different passages, including what was traded.
Triangular trade refers to a historical trading pattern that took place between Europe, Africa, and the Americas during the 17th to 19th centuries. It involved three different passages:
1. Passage 1: Europe to Africa
In this passage, European merchants would sail from ports in Europe, mainly from countries like England, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands, carrying goods such as textiles, firearms, iron tools, and other manufactured products to the west coast of Africa. These goods were traded with African kingdoms and tribes in exchange for African slaves.
2. Passage 2: Africa to the Americas
After acquiring slaves in Africa, European slave traders would transport them across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. The slaves were packed into tightly packed ships, enduring horrific conditions known as the Middle Passage. Many enslaved Africans did not survive the journey due to disease, malnutrition, and mistreatment.
3. Passage 3: Americas to Europe
In the Americas, the enslaved Africans were sold and put to work on plantations producing cash crops such as sugar, tobacco, coffee, and cotton. These crops were highly desired in Europe due to their profitability. Once the plantations harvested the crops and processed them, European merchants would transport them back to Europe for sale, creating significant profits for the plantation owners and merchants.
Thus, triangular trade involved the exchange of European manufactured goods for African slaves on the first passage, the transport of enslaved Africans to the Americas on the second passage, and the transport of lucrative cash crops from the Americas back to Europe on the third passage. This cycle perpetuated and sustained the transatlantic slave trade, enriching European nations and contributing to the growth of the colonial system.