Prince Henry of Portugal – also called Prince Henry the Navigator – began Portugal’s great age of exploration. From about 1419 until his death in 1460, he sent several sailing expeditions down the coast of Africa.4 In 1481, King John II of Portugal began sending expeditions to find a sea route around the southern shores of Africa. Many explorers made several attempts. It was Bartolomeu Dias who was the first to round Africa and make it to the Indian Ocean in 1488. But he was forced to head back to Portugal before he could make it to India.
The transatlantic slave trade was really a triangle. Here's a map to show the approximate routes. The trade was brought about to benefit the economy of Caribbean nations and Europe. The slaves were forced into awful conditions; cramped boats and harsh climates with which to toil away picking cotton or whatnot.
