Final answer:
The Atlantic slave trade originated from the need for labor on sugar plantations, with Portugal playing a key role in exporting enslaved Africans to meet the growing European demand for sugar. The correct answer is . b production of sugar.
Step-by-step explanation:
The origins of the Atlantic slave trade were closely associated with the production of sugar. The Portuguese, upon reaching West Africa, realized the potential of enslaved Africans as a source of labor for sugar plantations on their Atlantic islands, leading to a surge in the export of enslaved people. This expansion of the sugar industry necessitated a larger workforce, thus propelling the slave trade.
Europeans established trade posts along the African coast to acquire slaves through negotiations rather than force, as African trading networks were well-established and potent. Ultimately, the burgeoning demand for sugar in Europe, especially in the islands of the Atlantic, Brazil, and the Caribbean, was the primary motivator for the intensification of the African slave trade and the resulting rise of global capitalism.