Answer:
The transatlantic slave trade began during the 15th century when Portugal, and subsequently other European kingdoms, were finally able to expand overseas and reach Africa. The Portuguese first began to kidnap people from the west coast of Africa and to take those they enslaved back to Europe.
- quoted from the BBC History: Africa and the Transatlantic slave trade
Roman gods began to more closely resemble Greek gods. Christianity became the official religion of Rome. Many of the native religions were included into the Roman religion. The native religions of Rome's conquered territories were made illegal.
At the end of the quotation, when the author says “Island” he refers to England. This excerpt refers to the fact that the English people took a great amount of land as its colonies between the 16th and 18th centuries. The British Empire and its Colonial Department was settled in England, which is and Island.
And the author states that it is absurd that a quite smaller island would govern a continent as big as Africa.
Without these things our govnt system would not exist