EDITORS COMMENTS

The African slave trade, also known as the transatlantic slave trade, was a brutal and inhumane system of forced labor that existed from the 15th to the 19th century. It involved the capture and enslavement of millions of Africans by European colonizers, who forcibly transported them across the Atlantic Ocean to work on plantations in the Americas. The process began with raids on African villages and towns by European slavers, often with the help of local collaborators. Enslaved individuals were then taken to coastal forts or ships where they were held in cramped and unsanitary conditions before being transported across the Atlantic. During this period, an estimated 12-20 million enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas, with many more dying during transportation due to disease, malnutrition, and other forms of mistreatment. Those who survived faced harsh conditions on plantations where they worked long hours under close supervision for little pay or no compensation at all. African men were often separated from their families upon arrival in America; women suffered physical abuse while pregnant; children born into slavery would be considered slaves themselves even if born after emancipation laws took effect later down line but still had limited rights compared those not born into it Conditions varied depending on location.