1525: The first slave ship sailed directly from the African coast to the Americas, marking a significant transition in the organization of the transatlantic …

1525: The first slave ship sailed directly from the African coast to the Americas, marking a significant transition in the organization of the transatlantic traffic. This direct route bypassed European ports and signaled the start of a more intensive and specialized phase of the trade. Following this development, the volume of captives carried across the Atlantic began to increase steadily. The environmental realities of Atlantic winds and currents eventually established two mostly separate trading systems north and south of the equator.