These seven factors led to the development of the slave trade:
The importance of the West Indian colonies.
The shortage of labour.
The failure to find alternative sources of labour.
The legal position.
Racial attitudes.
Religious factors.
Military factors.
Ivory, gold and other trade resources attracted Europeans to West Africa. As demand for cheap labour to work on plantations in the Americas grew, people enslaved in West Africa became the most valuable 'commodity' for European traders. Slavery existed in Africa before Europeans arrived.
