The Trans Atlantic slave trade linked Africa to the larger Atlantic world during the early modern times. Africa was seen as a source of labor for the continuously changing world in Europe and its surroundings. Slaves from Africa were exchanged for manufactured European products mainly firearms. It was not until the nineteenth century that slavery came to an end hence the Trans Atlantic slave trade as well. Once a slave, an individual was deprived of his/her personal or civil rights hence they were readily sold as goods and could be easily punished.
The African slaves worked in various sectors outside their homes like in plantations, as administrators, advisors, or soldiers. Slaves were used as a means of assessing one’s wealth. However, the end of this slave trade was a relief especially for the Africans, who were deprived of their rights to enjoy a life free from oppression and cruelty.