Slavery started because there was increasing demand for sugar but not enough workers to produce it. Africans were taken as slaves to grow sugar in the Americas as they were more resistant to European diseases than native tribes. This forced transportation of slaves from Africa to the Americas to support the sugar industry became known as the Triangular Trade due to the three stages of the journey: goods to Africa, slaves to Americas, produced goods from Americas to Europe.

3. LEARNING INTENTIONS
• Explain the reasons that slavery started
• Explain why Slavery is sometimes known as the
‘Triangular Trade’

4. Millions of people in the Americas and West Indies can trace
their roots back to Africa because of slavery. This means that
their ancestors were kidnapped and taken there as slaves.

5. Sugar was at the heart of the
slave trade.
Sugar was increasingly
popular but also expensive
and difficult to grow.
When the Spanish first
landed in the Americas they
grew sugar. Soon other
countries did too.

6. At first, sugar was grown by
different groups:
• Arawak natives, who were
used as slaves but died out
due to European diseases
• Bond servants, who worked
for 4-7 years before being free
• Convicts and prisoners

7. There were not enough
workers to keep up with
demand for sugar.
Some European countries
had African colonies.
African slaves were taken to
grow sugar in the Americas.
In time, slaves would grow
various other products too.

8. There were many advantages
to using Africans as slaves.
Slavery already existed in
Africa and there were large
numbers of Africans available.
Also, unlike tribes in the
Americas, Africans did not
react as badly to European
illness and disease.

9. The slave trade became known as the Triangular Trade. This is
because of the three stages that the slave journey involved.

10. Triangular Trade
Stage 1: Trade goods such as
guns, etc were taken to Africa
Stage 2: Slaves were taken to
the Americas
Stage 3: Goods produced by
slaves were taken to Europe
to be sold