What was the most important reason for the massive growth of the African slave trade in the sixteenth century?
A) The need to supply the mines of Peru with an abundant labor force
B) The desire to develop the tobacco plantations of the New World
C) The intense labor needs created by the development of sugar growing in the New World
D) The enormous growth in the African birth rate
E) The European ability to obtain slaves in many West African areas

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The intense labor needs created by the development of sugar growing in the New World was the most important reason for the massive growth of the African slave trade in the sixteenth century. The demand for labor in sugar plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil was extremely high, and African slaves were seen as the most efficient and profitable source of labor to meet that demand. The Portuguese and Spanish were the main actors in the sugar industry and they then established intensive slave trade operations at various points along the West African coast to satisfy the growing demand for African slaves.

What Was the Most Important Reason for the Massive Growth