The Age of Exploration (1400-1600) was a time of great conquest, discovery, and superstition. In which humans first circumnavigated the globe, discovered the “New World,” and trade was established between Europe, the Americas, and Africa. However, to fuel this rapid expansion of both land, commercialization and greed, there was an increased demand for slavery. Without the cheap labor, trade opportunities, and labor slavery provided, the Age of Exploration would have been far less successful and prosperous. The cheap labor provided by slaves from the 14th to 17th centuries was crucial to the prosperity and progress made, during the Age of Exploration. The only costs associated with slavery were purchasing, transporting, and maintaining slaves, and in most cases, the slaves provided their own food. This made slavery extremely cheap, which was especially necessary in a time when much of a country's GDP was used to finance its empire and conquests and little was left to build and maintain the buildings of homes and colonies. Furthermore, in the case of the Americas, the supply of cheap slaves was crucial. For example, when settlers first arrive they have to clear the land, build houses, and of course, cultivate the land. All this requires a lot of labor which in newly settled America is not only difficult to find, but also expensive and investments are also scarce. Therefore, with the addition of slaves, farmers were able to run a farm for next to nothing, but exported products there, such as tobacco at a high price, increasing prosperity in both Europe and the Americas. Robert Fogel and Stanley Engerman made a strong case for this claim in their book “Time on the Cross”... half of the document... of the slave trade in Africa." StudyMode. Np, February 2011. Web. January 23, 2014 "Quick Guide: The Slave Trade." BBC News, 15 March 2007. Web. 23 January 2014. "The Slave Trade". January 2014. .Spielvogel, Jackson J. “Chapter 13: The Age of Exploration” New York, NY: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2005. 402-25. Stamfordhighschool Web, January 23, 2014. .W., C. and AJKD “Does Slavery Make Economic Sense?” September 2013. Web. 23 January. 2014.