Final answer:
The triangular trade was a network that exchanged manufactured goods from Europe for African slaves, who were sent to the Americas to produce agricultural products that were then shipped back to Europe. This system was driven by the colonial powers for economic gain, exploiting the enslaved and leading to profound impacts on the continents involved.
Step-by-step explanation:
Three commodities that were traded in the triangular trade and their origins are:
- Manufactured goods such as cloth, spirits, tobacco, beads, and metal goods were shipped from Europe to the African continent. Specific to weaponry, guns were part of this exchange and were instrumental in local conflicts and the expansion of empires in Africa.
- African slaves, captured in Africa, constituted the human component of the trade and were forcibly transported to the Americas during the Middle Passage. Their labor was essential to the production of plantation crops.
- Agricultural products like sugar, rum, molasses, indigo, cotton, and rice were cultivated by enslaved people in the Americas and then shipped to Europe. These products were in high demand in European markets.
The triangular trade benefitted the colonial powers of Europe and elites in Africa and the Americas by creating wealth through the exploitation of enslaved people and extraction of resources. This vast trading network spanned three continents and was a defining feature of the colonial economic system until the early nineteenth century.