Final answer:
The Transatlantic Triangular Trade was a three-leg trade system connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas, involving the exchange of manufactured goods for African slaves, who were shipped to the Americas and then traded for plantation products that went back to Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
Brief Description of the Transatlantic Triangular Trade
The Transatlantic Triangular Trade was a trading system that operated from the late 15th to the early 19th centuries, connecting three continents: Europe, Africa, and the Americas. During the first leg of the trade, European countries sent manufactured goods such as cloth, spirits, tobacco, beads, metal goods, and guns to Africa. These goods were traded for African slaves, who were captured by African traders and empires. The second leg, known as the Middle Passage, involved the inhumane transport of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas to work on plantations. The final leg of the trade saw the shipment of plantation products like indigo, cotton, sugar, tobacco, molasses, and rum from the Americas back to Europe. This trade cycle greatly benefitted the colonial powers and merchants who amassed enormous wealth, reinforcing the power dynamics of the era.