Essay 1The transatlantic slave trade set in motion a series of events that ultimately paralyzed a continent and forever changed how people of African descent were viewed in the whole world. The effects of the slave trade were immediate and far-reaching. In this essay I will discuss some of the immediate effects of the slave trade, as well as some of its more far-reaching consequences. One of the most impactful immediate effects of the slave trade was the effect it had on the people of West Africa. In class we discussed how the original targets of the slave trade were typically young males. Due to the rapid decline in the male population, West African women had fewer men to reproduce with, and the population quickly began to decline. Another danger created by the reduction in the male population was to make the people left in West Africa incredibly vulnerable. Men were depended on to protect their communities, and with their disappearance, the population of this region has been left open to further exploitation. This weakness was exploited by other groups of Africans who were ...