Middle Passage

A detailed Summary of Middle Passage


To slaves, the Middle Passage was hell, they were carried onto the ship naked, men were shackled two by two, the right wrist and ankle of one to the left wrist and ankle of another. Women were allowed to wander almost anywhere on the ship by day. During the night men and women were split up and placed between decks on bare wooden floors without covering. In a stormy passage the skin over their elbows might be worn away to the bone. Slave traders in every nation insisted that their ships were the best. For example: Dutch masters said "The French, Portugese, and English slave ships are always foul and stinking; on the contrary ours are for the most part clean and neat."

If the weather was clear, the slaves would be brought on deck at eight o'clock, but did not eat their first meal until nine o'clock. A slave could get a variety of foods depending on where he or she was from. While the slaves were on deck, they had to be watched at all times to keep them from committing suicide. Captain Phi


Slavery developed in the West Indies when Spanish monarchs granted conquistadors the right to demand labor from Native Americans. Diseases, starvation, and cruel treatment later caused declines in Native American population. Bartoleme de Las Cases condemned Native American slavery. Instead Las Cases urged Europeans to use Africans as slaves because they are immune to tropical diseases, and had useful skills in farming and mining. There were two thought processes between the English slave traders to gather up slaves. The "loose packers" believed that if you give a slave more room, better food, and a certain amount of liberty then the death rate would reduce and the slavers would receive a better price. The "tight packers" believed in shoving as many slaves in one ship as possible and hoping not too, many would die. Either way, the amount of slaves arriving every year increased because owners of slaves wanted to make and sell more and more products such as sugar and luxury items. So, the re

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 675
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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