The manpower was one aspect of the system that was not only important, but also significant to change. Due to the dangers of transatlantic trade, much of the labor force needed on plantations died of malnutrition and disease, only causing slave trade to increase.
After Columbus discovered the West Indies in 1492, Spanish and Portuguese exploration and colonization brought many people to migrate to the Americas. Throughout the 1500s colonies were established throughout the islands of the West Indies and also on mainland. The Spanish Empire focused on the cultivation of sugar and the mining of gold in Mexico, New Granada and Peru, which essentially covered the entire west coast of both North and South America, as well as all of Central America including islands such as Cuba and Santo Domingo. The French had established New France, and also controlled Guadalupe, Martinique, Saint Domingue and French Guiana. Great Britain controlled the eastern seaboard of North America, as well as a few islands and also the Hudson Bay area. The Dutch had a smaller hold, ruling the Dutch Guiana although they had a brief period of expansion in the early seventeenth century. Finally, the Portuguese had settled mostly in Brazil. Sugar was the most prolific crop, and hence sugar plantations were the goal in most areas of the Americas, although the English also cultivated large amounts of tobacco. As the plantations were formed, more and more people were sent to the Americas and the trade system began to take shape.
The development of the trade system did not proceed without flaw. In contrast, as colonies began to grow there were many difficulties that the Europeans faced. Destructive hurricanes, widespread disease, and ravaging pirates were all factors with which the settlers struggled. In addition, the difficulty of successful transportation often left the settlers short of necessary supplies and manpower.
