Final answer:
The transatlantic slave trade was fundamentally different from previous forms of slavery and other systems of labor in the same era in several ways, including chattel slavery, brutal conditions on slave ships, and racialized targeting.
Step-by-step explanation:
The transatlantic slave trade was fundamentally different from previous forms of slavery and other systems of labor in the same era in several ways.
- First, it was chattel slavery, which meant that enslaved people were treated as property and had no legal rights. They could be bought, sold, and inherited, and their status could be passed on to their children.
- Second, the conditions on slave ships during the Middle Passage were extremely brutal, with overcrowding, poor ventilation, and unsanitary conditions, leading to a high death rate.
- Finally, the transatlantic slave trade was driven primarily by racialized notions of inferiority, with African people being targeted and enslaved based on their ethnicity.