The Middle Passage (or Transatlantic Slave Trade) was a voyage that transported slaves from Africa to the Americas via tightly packed ships. The trade began in the early 1500s, and by 1654 an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 slaves were being imported from Africa to the Americas each year. This number continued to grow, and by 1750 the figure reached approximately 60,000 to 70,000 slaves per year. Due to the lack of necessary documents, it is difficult to determine the exact number of Africans expelled from their home countries. But based on available evidence and data, it is estimated that 9 to 15 million people were captured during the Middle Passage, and of that total, about 3 to 5 million died. Although the idea seems flawed and misguided, many smart people and ideas contributed to the economic success of the slave trade. The concept of the slave trade emerged in the 1430s, when the Portuguese came to Africa in search of gold (not slaves). . They traded copper items, fabrics, tools, wine, horses, and later weapons and munitions with African kingdoms in exchange for ivory, pepper, and gold (which were prized in Europe). There was not a very great demand for slaves in Europe, but the Portuguese realized that they could make a good profit from transporting slaves along the African coast, from trading post to post. 'other. Slaves were eagerly purchased by Muslim merchants, who used them on trans-Saharan trade routes and resold them in the Islamic Empire. The Portuguese continued to collect slaves throughout the western part of Africa, as far as the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), and as far as the east coast, as far as Somalia. Along the way, Portugal established trade relations with many African kingdoms, which later contributed to the start of the Atlantic slave trade. Due to good Portugal for ...... middle of paper ......e of Olaudah Equiano. It was published in 1789 and has been read by people all over the world in several different languages. This opened everyone's eyes to what the slave trade really was. Another reason for the end of slavery was the successful slave revolt in Haiti from 1801 to 1803. This showed the Americas that slavery could be defeated. And starting in the 18th century, an industrial revolution was sweeping across Europe and North America, and by the 19th century, slaves began to become less and less profitable. Then, in 1807, Britain became the first country in Europe to abolish slavery. Soon after, France, Spain, Denmark, and Holland followed suit, and a year later America abolished the trade as well. Over the next eighty years, countries began to completely abolish slavery, and in 1865 (after the Union victory in the American Civil War), America became one of these countries...