The Devastating Effects of the Slave Trade

Historian Brenda A. Stevenson estimates that between the 15th and 19th centuries, approximately 28 million Africans were enslaved and sold. Of these, around 12.5 million were sent to the Americas and the Caribbean, while about 16 million were traded to North Africa, the Indian Ocean coast, and the Middle East. This number does not include the millions who died during slave raiding, forced marches, the middle passage, or those who lost their homes and families. The economic impact of the slave trade is significant.