Answer:
The African slave trade was a system of forced labor and exploitation that had a tremendous influence on the lives of millions of Africans. One of the primary ways in which the slave trade contributed to the dehumanization of Africans was the establishment of a system in which they were considered as property rather than as human beings with rights and dignity.
Europeans and Americans created a variety of racist and degrading notions about Africans in order to justify their enslavement. These beliefs included the assumption that Africans were fundamentally inferior to Europeans and that they needed to be "civilized" via forced labor and subjection.
These concepts were used to excuse the heinous treatment of enslaved Africans, who were frequently subjected to harsh kinds of cruelty and exploitation. Africans who were enslaved were routinely beaten, tormented, and made to labor long hours in horrible conditions. They were also removed from their families and communities, and they were frequently transported great distances in overcrowded and cruel conditions.
The legal and social structures that sprang up around the slave trade mirrored the dehumanization of Africans. Africans who were enslaved were denied basic human rights and were viewed as property rather than persons. They were not allowed to marry, possess property, or testify in court, and their lives and bodies were at the mercy of their owners.
Ultimately, the African slave trade had a devastating influence on millions of Africans' lives and identities, contributing to their dehumanization and the creation of racist and demeaning notions about them.