How did the African slave trade expand?

The African slave trade expanded through the demand for labor in European colonies in the Americas, particularly in plantations for crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton. European powers established trading posts along the African coast and engaged in the exchange of goods for enslaved Africans, who were then transported across the Atlantic to work on plantations. The trade was further fueled by the development of a complex network of slave traders, merchants, and middlemen.