Portugal's Breakthrough in Slave Trade

Portugal discovered the cheapest way to buy slaves in history by accidentally figuring out how

to sail around Africa's deadly coastline. While other European countries were stuck paying insane prices

for slaves transported through the Sahara desert, Portugal built faster ships that could

survive the journey to West Africa directly. This breakthrough happened because Portugal was the

only stable country desperate enough to try such a dangerous route. They needed to find

a way to Asia for spices, so they sent explorers to map Africa's coast.

Along the way, they realized they could buy slaves directly from West African markets

instead of through expensive middlemen. By 1441, the first West African slaves arrived in