The transatlantic slave trade was a brutal and inhumane practice that forcibly transported millions of Africans from their homelands to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. European slave traders captured or bought Africans, often from West and Central Africa, and transported them across the Atlantic Ocean to work on plantations in the Americas, primarily in the Caribbean and the southern United States.

Conditions on the slave ships were horrific, with overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and widespread disease leading to high mortality rates among the enslaved Africans during the Middle Passage. Once they arrived in the Americas, slaves were subjected to brutal treatment, forced labor, and harsh living conditions.

The transatlantic slave trade not only devastated African societies by disrupting families and communities but also played a significant role in shaping the economy and culture of the Americas. The legacy of the slave trade continues to impact Black communities around the world today, as descendants of enslaved Africans continue to struggle against systemic racism and inequality.

Efforts to abolish the transatlantic slave trade began in the late 18th century, with the British Parliament passing the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807. The United States followed suit in 1808, although slavery itself was not abolished until the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865. Despite the formal abolition of the slave trade, its effects can still be felt today in the form of ongoing racial disparities and injustices.