 
from the beginning of history slavery in one form or another existed in 
many parts of the world. 
slavery had existed in africa hundreds of years before the arrival of 
europeans. 
enemies captured in battle, criminals and debtors were often forced into 
slavery. 
but this type of slavery existed only on a small scale and was not 
necessarily hereditary. 
it was also different from the type of slavery which developed later 
because africans did not regard slavery as the total ownership of another 
human being. 
the slave trade had existed long before the arrival of the europeans as 
well. 
long before the africans were carried to the new world, they were being 
captured by arabs and sold in the markets of the east, in india, indonesia, 
egypt, turkey, and persia. 
in 1441 a portuguese ship returned to lisbon, bringing back among other 
things 12 men, women and children from africa. 
these were the first african slaves to be sold in europe. 
but there was not much need for slaves in europe and so the slave trade 
was not very important to the europeans in the beginning. 
it was not until the european planters in the west indies discovered that 
they could make fortunes by growing sugar with the labor of african slaves 
that the trade in human beings assumed massive proportions. 
by the mid 1500s the slave trade had grown tremendously. 
as the european demand for sugar and tobacco grew, the need for slaves in 
the new world grew as well. 
the profits of the slave trade for the europeans were enormous. 
