In 1430s the slave trade began. Rich white people would buy black people and keep them as slaves. To know which slave belonged to which white family they would put a iron on their arm or chest so they knew who belonged to who. Most enslaved African males were between the ages of 15 and 35. Male children less than 15 years of age made up around 15-20% of the Africans transported to the Americas. It has not been recorded how many people died in the slave trade but it had been estimated that millions did die.