Slavery In The Middle Passage
“Captives who survived evacuation from their interior points of capture experienced a new set of psychological and physical trauma at the coasts, where they saw the sea, huge slave ships, and white people for the first time.” (Robertson) It is estimated that between 9 to 11 million people died before the voyages to the Americas (“How Many People Were Taken From Africa?”). The Africans had to endure many hardships throughout their trip to the Americas and some did not make it. The trek to the coast is considered to be more brutal than the voyage across the Middle Passage (“The Abolition of British Slavery”). Many people know about the slavery in America, but many do not know about the treatment and after effects of the slave trade at the source.
…show more content…
The trek to the coast is considered to be more brutal than the voyages across the Middle Passage (“The Abolition of British Slavery”). Slaves were forced to walk to European coastal ports up to 1000 miles away while being shackled together and anyone who became sick or too weak would be left to die. At port cities, slaves were kept in dungeons until they were transported onto the ships which could take upwards to a year (“The African Slave Trade”). It is estimated that about 9 to 11 million slaves died before being taken out of Africa (“How Many People Were Taken From Africa?”). The life of a slave was really bad at this point and it only got worse. The Middle Passage is known to the worst part of the journey to the Americas. It is also estimated that between one to two million slaves died on the Middle Passage. Slaves were packed so tightly into the cargo-hold that they had to lie in each other’s feces and urine (“The African Slave Trade”). Smallpox and yellow fever spread like wildfire because of the unsanitary conditions (“The African Slave Trade”). Because of theses conditions, 12% of slaves that were sent away from Africa died during the voyages (“Facts About The Slave Trade”). Africa was not a nice place to live during this time and that affected Africa as a whole in the long
The trek to the coast is considered to be more brutal than the voyages across the Middle Passage (“The Abolition of British Slavery”). Slaves were forced to walk to European coastal ports up to 1000 miles away while being shackled together and anyone who became sick or too weak would be left to die. At port cities, slaves were kept in dungeons until they were transported onto the ships which could take upwards to a year (“The African Slave Trade”). It is estimated that about 9 to 11 million slaves died before being taken out of Africa (“How Many People Were Taken From Africa?”). The life of a slave was really bad at this point and it only got worse. The Middle Passage is known to the worst part of the journey to the Americas. It is also estimated that between one to two million slaves died on the Middle Passage. Slaves were packed so tightly into the cargo-hold that they had to lie in each other’s feces and urine (“The African Slave Trade”). Smallpox and yellow fever spread like wildfire because of the unsanitary conditions (“The African Slave Trade”). Because of theses conditions, 12% of slaves that were sent away from Africa died during the voyages (“Facts About The Slave Trade”). Africa was not a nice place to live during this time and that affected Africa as a whole in the long