The South Atlantic System

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The elements of the South Atlantic system included the tools, equipment, and ships provided by European merchants, investors and planters, the Atlantic slave trade which encompassed African slaves, and plantations that were established on Native American territory. The system involved the purchase of African slaves by European planters and their transportation to the West Indies and the mainland. The slaves produced sugar and other raw materials that were exported to Europe, which were in turn manufactured into products or re-exported. This transaction greatly shaped the development of the United States and Europe. Barbados, St. Christopher, Brazil, Nevis, Montserrat, and other regions were transformed into slave-based plantation societies