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In 1448, Portugal made slave-trading agreements with Moorish and African chiefs. These developments were one of the first documented slave trades in colonial history. These trades laid the groundwork for slave trade for the next 300-400 years.
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The Portuguese built the first slave-trade post in what is now Ghana in 1482. This was a major development in slave trading. Now there was a specific area that slaves were shipped from. It was beneficial to the African kings because of the riches they got from trading slaves, but it ultimately backfired once European nations started to colonize certain areas of Africa.
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The New Laws of 1542 discouraged acquiring slaves from the West Indies. This development created a bigger need for slaves from African nations. This increased the number of slaves being captured from African nations and being taken to the Americas. The cheap labor was eventually beneficial to the European nations. Once they were able to profit off the products the slaves were harvesting, they were in a great position.
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Many slaves were introduced into the Caribbean during the middle of the 17th century. They were brought there to harvest sugar cane. Sugar cane was very difficult to harvest and needed very strong people to harvest it. Many slaves were transported to the Caribbean in order to make a profit. Sugar cane was very profitable for the countries that had colonies that produced it.
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In 1642, King Louis XIII authorized French involvement in Triangular Trade. This brought lots of money to France. Not only were they able to buy cheap labor, but they were also able to profit off of the products that were grown and gathered from the New World colonies.
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In 1807, Great Britain abolished transatlantic slave trade. They had already lost their North American colonies after the American Revolution, and they now were losing another form of profit.
