The main reason for the rise of the Atlantic slave trade between 1400 and 1750 was the importance of colonies for the development of the economy of European countries. The plantations based on the fertile lands in the New World were the new social and economic institutions. Since the large fields in America were not only farms but also factories, they were of high importance for business people from the Old World.
The consequent cause for the prosperity of the slavery process was the necessity for cheap human labor. In America, which was the English colony, indigenous people were against their colonizers, and because of the knowledge of their land could start a serious fight against them. Moreover, local nations were subject to the diseases that Europeans brought to America. As a result, there was a high mortality rate among Native Americans due to infections and conflicts. Hence, there was a severe shortage of working population, and patrons needed to seek other sources of human labor and brought Africans to America.
The next major prerequisite that helped the principles of slave labor to become popular is the spread of racial attitudes in society. The propaganda of the superiority of white people helped to justify slavery. The enslavement was accompanied by the thesis of benefit for the black crowd being looked after by Europeans. Moreover, there was a common belief that African people were more suited for physical work.
The other factor that had a significant contribution to this phenomenon is the fact that there was slavery long before Europeans conquered African countries. Some people used others’ labor in their aims and even cooperated in selling slaves to interested colonists. The Europeans relied on these individuals to get slaves for them, whom they readily bought. Thus, Africans are also somewhat responsible for spreading those practices.