What is slavery and how did Europeans use it to create prosperity is colonies?

Slavery is the condition in which individuals are owned by others, deprived of personal freedom, and forced to work without compensation. Europeans exploited slavery, particularly through the transatlantic slave trade, to provide cheap labor for their colonies, especially in agriculture and resource extraction. This system enabled the production of lucrative cash crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which significantly boosted colonial economies and contributed to European wealth and industrial growth. The brutal exploitation of enslaved people not only fueled prosperity in the colonies but also had lasting social and economic impacts that persist today.