Throughout history, groups of people have been forced to relocate, assimilate, and serve as slaves; however, none has ever managed to create a lasting legacy as successful as the transatlantic slave trade. The transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in American and world history. Although the benefits that the great powers obtained from the trade of enslaved African peoples are innumerable, it is important to highlight the effects that the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade had on the colonies to better understand the he legacy that this ban on the slave trade had. The slave trade marked a turning point in American history. The banning of the transatlantic slave trade sparked increased support for the anti-slavery initiative that would change America in the years to come and the illegal importation of African people into the American colonies and this turning point in history America is our hope for the future. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Ending this system of human trafficking was a complex process that took almost a century to completely abolish all over the world. Records from societies around the world demonstrate that the slave trade was an acceptable institution “on a par with slavery itself,” dating back to the 15th century, when the Portuguese began exploring the African coast. The political and social distinctions that pushed to end human trafficking among Africans emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries in European countries. The movement to end the system began with a few individuals and their abolitionist ideas that changed the course of public opinion and influence. During the second half of the 18th century, Europe experienced significant developments that changed the attitudes of European intellectuals, what is known as the Age of Enlightenment. Encouraged by a new vision and renewed confidence, traditional ideas and modes of government were challenged. As historian David Brion Davis says: “The emergence of international anti-slavery opinion represented a momentous turning point in the evolution of man's moral perception. » After the 1760s, more and more people condemned slavery as a system that should be abolished. Emerging abolitionists successfully convinced the British public and officials that free labor was superior to bonded labor. As the British succeeded in abolishing the slave trade, American states demanded more slaves, leading nations that traded in Africans to increase their imports of illegal slaves into the colonies, thus complicating the end of the entire transatlantic slave trade. The ban on the transatlantic slave trade posed great difficulties in passing and enforcing the ban due to the enormous profits that the great powers made from the trade. While this may be true, Denmark was the first country to ban the slave trade starting in 1792 and soon countries like Britain and the United States followed suit. This marked the beginning of a thirty-three year long period to end the slave trade and as a result the influx of Africans to the Americas came primarily from violations of the laws after it was banned. Even after trade between Britain and America was abolished in 1808, »..