Triangular Trade Systems and Exploitive Colonies

Introduction

The best known triangular trading system is the transatlantic slave trade, that operated from the late 16th to early 19th centuries, carrying slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods between West Africa, Caribbean or American colonies and the European colonial powers, with the northern colonies of British North America, especially New England, sometimes taking over the role of Europe. The use of African slaves was fundamental to growing colonial cash crops, which were exported to Europe. European goods, in turn used to purchase African slaves, which were then brought on the sea lane west from Africa to the Americas, the so called middle passage.

Discussion

The exploitive colonies which were based on the slavery were the basis of the Triangular Trade Systems. Initially, since in 1441 the Portuguese captured first African slaves, these exported to Portugal, Spain and Italy and other parts of Europe, albeit in small quantities. After the conquest of America, the slave trade not only increased dramatically but became an institution for about four centuries would dramatically relate to three continents that include Africa, America and Europe, this relationship known as triangular trade or traffic (Blassingame, 1979, pp. 46-67).

In the early sixteenth century, several territories in the Americas were colonized by the Portuguese and Spanish. Aborigines massacred or reduced to slavery during the conquest. As noted in these conquered lands Europeans introduced the cultivation of sugar cane, snuff, cotton and coffee and the extraction of gold and silver products are all highly sought after in Europe. This work required a lot of labor. Aboriginal decimated by wars, epidemics, forced labor and the alcohol could not meet the needs of labor. The profit hungry dealers and experienced in the slave trade in Africa are casting their eyes, as a region with strong cheap labor (Davidson, 1980, pp. ...