What was the main cause of the slave trade and why?

Answer 1

If you are talking about the African slave trade

The slave trade started because the English needed people who could stand the heat to work so they travelled to Africa and used Africans for their work and people where told to capture Africans and the Africans were traded for guns and rifiles and thus the slave trade was born.

*(^_^)* :)

While that ^^ is mostly correct it was not the reason the African slave trade started. The Portuguese where the first European power to explore the west African coast searching for gold and a sea route to the Indies (India & Spice Islands). They found small amounts of gold, but instead found that African slaves could be bought for cheap directly from the native ruling chiefs and kings instead of buying them from Moors and Arabs from the north African coast. The other main reason for the start of the trans-Atlantic slave trade was profit...as always...it was only later, in the early 16th century that African slaves where started to be shipped in large numbers to the new world. It continued simply because of the huge profits amassed by the slave merchants and even Kings Queens of Europe...

If you read into it you learn that the Arabs where enslaving and kidnapping far more black Africans than the western nations, millions more, even into the mid 20th century. Still to this day human slavery is a rampant problem, and the Persian gulf Arabian states still import slaves from East Africa and eastern Europe, though in vastly smaller numbers.

Answer 2

Wealth pure and simple. Slaves were the first "Black Gold" long before the discovery of a use for petroleum. The demand for slaves in the Americas, could make a handy profit. When they found out they could also turn a profit delivering sugar and rum to Europe, their profits doubled. By picking up trade good and Iron in Europe for delivery to Africa their profits trebeled. Two circuits and a crewman could buy a pub with his share and the Captain could buy a country home and retire for life. == The simple answer is "Economics."

Answer 3

Because the Europeans did not have to pay the slaves for there work

Answer 4

Profit

Answer 5

Profit