The triangular slave trade was a system of trade during the 16th to 19th centuries where European powers traded goods for enslaved Africans, who were then transported to the Americas to work as laborers. The trade involved three main stages or "legs": the first leg involved European ships sailing to Africa with manufactured goods, which were exchanged for enslaved Africans; the second leg involved the Middle Passage, where the enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic to the Americas, enduring horrific conditions on the ships; and the third leg involved the sale of enslaved Africans in the Americas in exchange for agricultural goods, such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which were then transported back to Europe. The triangular slave trade had a profound impact on the economies and societies of Africa, Europe, and the Americas, leading to the development of plantation economies, the growth of European colonial powers, and the displacement and suffering of millions of African people.
