As early as 1550 the Spanish brought slaves to Mexico . It is estimated that 12 million people were enslaved and were part of the early economics of the New Worlds. They were needed to do the labor.
Slaves were brought to the new world to do the brutal back-breaking farm labor. Many were also made into domestic servants.
Africa
12 million
The European slave traders brought slaves to the New World from Africa. So many native Americans had died of smallpox that they couldn't be used for labor.
27million slaves are in the world
4 million
Slaves were brought to the new world to do the brutal back-breaking farm labor. Many were also made into domestic servants.
Africa
Africa
No African Americans until 1619 as slaves and by 1860 there were 6 million slaves.
Because that is where the sugar plantations were.
Less than 400,000 were brought to the US and almost 5,000,000 to South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean islands.
Slavery was common in many parts of the world and people of all colors were slaves. When the US needed more slaves, the cheapest at the time were from Africa. African tribes would fight each other and sell off the captives to anyone willing to pay for them. Dutch traders would meet with the African tribes and purchase the slaves, than deliver them to whatever part of the world had the highest demand for them. At the time, the US was in a growth period and needed more labor and Africa was in a state of war and had an excess of slaves for sale.
I don't think they "desired" African slaves. At first many explorers brought back people from places they had visited on their voyages, but most of them died before the explorers could get the new slaves back to europe. So i don't think the African slaves were really targeted, it was just from where the explorers sailed to.
12 million
The Etruscans came to Italy first. Then the Romans developed. The Romans had many Greek slaves and they brought in slaves from other parts of the world.
There are many African influences on Latin American dances when the slaves were brought to Cuba, Brazil etc.