Around 1500, enslaved Africans began to be used as cheap labor in the Americas. Slaves were a bargain as they did not cost much. Africa even traded their own people for goods that they needed. Some of these goods included beads, cowrie shells (used as money), textiles, brandy, horses, and most importantly, guns. Africa could use the guns to obtain more slaves and expand empires. …show more content…
They were sent on ships across the Atlantic Ocean forming the middle passage. Europeans traders loaded Africans into the dark holds of large ships. The conditions on the ships were terrible, allowing little space for all of the slaves. It was estimated that around 20 percent of the Slaves aboard each ship perished during the brutal voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. This was mostly due to the diseases spread among the passengers on the ship, physical abuse or even suicide by drowning. When they arrived in the Americas, they were auctioned off to the highest bidder. As a result, slave trade allowed for five times as many Africans to arrive in the Americas than