As the New World colonies flourished their developing economies rapidly expanded being limited only by a shortage of manpower. European demands for New World products went through the roof being fueled by a sweet-tooth, nicotine addiction and a desire for fine clothing. This rapidly increasing market required ever more people to work the fields to grow & harvest cash crops such as cotton, tobacco and sugar-cane. All of this led to a very labour-hungry market in the Americas which consumed all new available manpower. Thus people became the commodity most desired by the New World and a very cruel but lucrative trade rapidly grew up to supply this demand. The industrial scale of this slave trade cannot be understated. By cramming people into all available space in the ships’ holds & by providing the very minimum of care for the transatlantic crossing it became possible to supply new slaves very much cheaper than it was to replenish the slave population by natural childbirth (or enforced “breeding”). And so the massive translocation of young West Africans in their prime of life created untold misery for millions whilst also stifling any possible economic development within West Africa itself.
The trade of European goods in West Africa for slaves which were then shipped across the Atlantic to be sold/traded for cotton, sugar & tobacco which was then shipped back to Europe became known as the Triangular Trade.