Reading 2

The middle passage was the journey of the slave ships from the west coast of Africa, across the Atlantic, to North America. This voyage is referred to as the middle passage because it was the middle leg of a trade route that developed between North America, Europe, and Africa. Slaves would be traded in the Americas for goods which in turn would be shipped to Europe. The ship would then head back south to Africa and pick up slaves to start the whole process over again. The middle passage is known for much more than just the middle leg of this trans-Atlantic trade route, however. It was the most dangerous and difficult part of the journey for both the ship and crew but especially for the Africans. As slaves were captured or traded for in the slave camps on the coast of West Africa they would be held in large pens. When a ship docked, the crew would begin loading slaves into the hold. The process could take weeks before the ship was full enough to leave. During that time many slaves waited in the hold of the ship they would be traveling on. Most crews would pack the slaves as tight as they could to maximize profits on the voyage. During the voyages, life for the slaves was intolerable. When the wea There are not words to describe how appalled I am after reading and studying this subject. Another great online resource was from the PBS website we looked at during the readings for Chapter 3, slaves died during the voyage was considered a success. The ships were not allowed to dock at most ports due to the incredible stench of death and decay that hung around them; many times the crews would have to anchor the ship miles away from the shore and bring the slaves to port in small boats carried aboard the larger ship. These people had families in Africa before they were taken. As the slave labor force grew in the New World, many economies began to base themselves on cheap slave labor, thereby ingraining slavery into the very structure of society. The case was eventually...