Final answer:
The transatlantic trade was the exchange of goods, enslaved Africans, and resources across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It had significant economic and social impacts on all regions involved, particularly through the transportation and enslavement of Africans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The transatlantic trade refers to the exchange of goods, resources, and enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe, Africa, and the Americas during the period of European colonization and the Atlantic Slave Trade. It was a major component of the broader Atlantic Triangle Trade network.
In this trade, European merchants traded manufactured goods like textiles, guns, and alcohol to African traders in exchange for enslaved Africans. These enslaved individuals were then transported across the Atlantic on slave ships, enduring the horrific journey known as the Middle Passage. Once in the Americas, they were sold as slaves to work on plantations producing crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton.
The transatlantic trade had profound economic, social, and cultural impacts on all the regions involved. It fueled the growth of European economies through the exploitation of African labor and the production of lucrative cash crops. It also had devastating consequences for African societies, as millions of people were captured, uprooted, and subjected to enslavement and suffering.