Who traded slaves for manufactured goods?

European traders, particularly those from countries like Britain, France, and Portugal, engaged in the transatlantic slave trade by exchanging manufactured goods such as textiles, firearms, and metal products for enslaved Africans. These traders would transport enslaved individuals to the Americas, where they were forced to work on plantations, primarily in the production of sugar, tobacco, and cotton. This triangular trade system significantly contributed to the economic growth of European colonial powers at the expense of African lives and societies.