The demand for increased slave labor in the sixteenth century was due to the dramatic expansion of
A)the Portuguese spice trade.
B)colonization of the Americas spurring growth of the sugar industry.
C)with the Ottoman empire's blocade of the Silk Road, dependence on cotton was shifted to the Americas.
D)the elimination of the Portuguese from east Africa.
E)the declaration of the Treaty of Tordesillas giving the Portuguese dominion over Africa.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The colonization of the Americas in the sixteenth century led to increased demand for slave labor, particularly in the sugar industry. The Europeans needed a cheap and reliable source of labor to work the plantations, and enslaved Africans were seen as the answer to their labor needs. This demand for slave labor ultimately led to the transatlantic slave trade, which lasted for several centuries.

The Demand for Increased Slave Labor in the Sixteenth Century