Africans were sold into slavery to work for the Americas in the Atlantic Slave trade. The reasons African labor came to be were because they were already exposed to diseases , could be taught how to work on a plantation, and were less likely to run away.
Most of the time Africans were captured and sold into slavery by kings and merchants in exchange for manufactured goods. These slaves were not viewed as fellow Africans but as criminals. Over 12 million Africans were captured and shipped to the New World.
Africans were shipped over to the New World in boats on what became known as the Middle Passage. The men were held below deck and were tightly packed to an extreme amount. The children and women were held above deck and were horribly abused.
The conditions on the boat were unimaginable. The slaves were so mistreated that they died of disease, exaustion, abuse, and some even threw themselves overboard because of the atrocities that happened.
When Africans came to the New World they were sold into slavery by auction. However, before an auction slaves were kept in cells for weeks, sometimes months. They got little to no food, and were harshly treated.
At auctions, the slaves were chained together and ripped apart from their families. They had no say in what would happen to them and were brutually trafficked.