The Middle Passage
Sometime between the years 1600-1800, black Africans were subjected to a grueling expedition of torment and torture. This trip was known as the "Middle Passage." It was named so, because it was the middle leg of the "Triangular Trade" route that was used by European merchants (Black Peoples of America paragraph 1). The first part of the voyage would carry cargo to the African coast, where the goods were then exchanged for Africans, The second part of the trip consisted of the Africans being traded for goods in America. The ship would then head back to Europe. While slave-trading was outlawed in most countries, it was a lucrative business, therefore often overlooked.Slave trade through the middle passage actually began with African captors trading African slaves. According to an about.com article, "African captors kidnapped their countrymen and brought them to slave factories on the west coast of Africa" (about.com paragraph 2). This may have began as a means to just make a living, providing food and clothing for trader. Apparently greed soon took over, and slave trading became a profitable, I dare say, "occupati
They monitored the slaves to reduce the number of suicides, and if they refused to eat they were forced to eat. Sometimes the conditions became unbearable for the people aboard the ships, and they wanted to end their misery. Sharks regularly followed the ships due to the tremendous number of bodies that were thrown over. On the more tightly packed ones, the physicians may have picked a handful that needed to be exposed to the open air the most. This journey alone cost many lives, as it was a long and tedious one. According to the article, "The Voyage," "In such cramped quarters, diseases such as smallpox and yellow fever spread like wildfire" ("The Voyage" paragraph 3). Then, to be forced to forgo their own life to serve someone else's is unfathomable. Sometimes these diseased people would be thrown overboard to prevent the diseases from becoming to rampant and destroying the "investment" onboard. This was all ultimately for the good of the owners. The slaves could then spend anywhere from days up to a year in these factories awaiting a horrible, yet unknown journey ahead of them. Just as a farmer feeds his cattle and lets them roam the fields, the slaves were fed and allowed exercise so that they would be better able to work when they arrived in America. The slave traders would have none of this. It's the will that they kept to get beyond this. Once these people (who were not thought of as people at the time), were on the ships, they were shackled & confined to small cargo holds below deck.
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Acceptance Essays
