The practice that was responsible for New York City's success as a trade city was triangular trade. Triangular trade was a system of trade that involved three main stages: European goods were shipped to Africa, where they were traded for enslaved Africans; these enslaved individuals were then transported to the Americas and sold; finally, goods such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton produced by the enslaved labor were sent back to Europe. This trade system allowed New York City to prosper by serving as a key port in the transatlantic trade network, facilitating the exchange of goods, resources, and enslaved labor between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
