Reproduction of a handbill advertising a slave auction in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1769.

Template:SlaveryThe Atlantic slave trade was the selling of African slaves by Europeans in and around the Atlantic Ocean. It lasted from the 15th century to the 19th century. Most slaves were shipped from West Africa and brought over to the New World on a slave ship. The slaves on these ships lived in unhealthy conditions. Many died on the ships. The journey by ship was known as the Middle Passage.