Who brought the first Africans to America as slaves?

The first Africans brought to America as slaves were introduced by Spanish explorers in the early 16th century, primarily in the Caribbean. However, the first significant arrival of enslaved Africans to what is now the United States occurred in 1619 when a Dutch ship brought a group of enslaved Africans to Virginia. This marked the beginning of a brutal system of chattel slavery that would expand throughout the colonies.