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Alistair's African History Blog

By Alistair Boddy-Evans, About.com Guide to African History since 2001

Origins of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Wednesday September 10, 2008
Young African Boys Captured for Slave TradeWhen the Portuguese first sailed down the Atlantic African coast in the 1430s, they were interested in one thing. Surprisingly, given modern perspectives, it was not slaves but gold. However, by 1500 they had traded already 81,000 Africans to Europe, nearby Atlantic islands, and to Muslim merchants in Africa. Read more about the origins of the trans-Atlantic slave trade...

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