FIGURE 17.1 African Slaves Imported into American Territories, 1701–1810
During the eighteenth century, planters in the newly established Caribbean colonies imported millions of African slaves to work the new plantations that produced sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton for the European market. The vast majority of African slaves transported to the Americas ended up in either the Caribbean or Brazil. Why were so many slaves transported to the Caribbean islands, which are relatively small compared to Spanish America or British North America? (Adapted from http://www.slavevoyages.org/.)