The Middle Passage: The Inhuman Journey Of Slaves To America

352 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The middle passage

Although the middle passage involved the inhuman journey of the slaves to American; it did not start there. The middle passage usually began in Europe; mostly form Portugal to Africa. Europeans would trade things such as: manufactured goods, weapons, guns, bread, clothing, and even horses in exchange for gold, silver, and slaves from the Africans. In African it was common for tribes and villages to be raided to kidnap the women for their pleasures, and take the men for labor. The issues occurs when begins in the New World. Once West Africans were forced move across the Atlantic to do labor in America they were chained together; forced to lay down elbow to elbow and in some cases slaves were stacked on top of each other unable to move. They

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Olaundah Equiano

    1246 Words  | 3 Pages

    Servitude is a usual part of African ritual. Tribes would often use trade to obtain slaves by going to the head chief and trading for livestock. Not only did various tribes trade with the people of their countries, but with the Europeans of other nationalities as well. There were times that tribes would go to war and keep chiefs and prisoners of war were kept as slaves, to trade with European countries. Many times slaves were sold due to being punished, or to rape and other various crimes. Some were also forced into life of captivity. It was common for young individuals to be kidnapped and taken to a home of a common family to work and serve them. Many owners would treat their slaves fairly. The masters would own a piece of property and have an apartment for their own personal family along with a home for the enslaved family. Equiano talks about how many slaves owned their own slaves in some cases. If a family was wealthy enough, they would accommodate their property, meaning the slaves. They were a part of the owner’s family and were as brutally treated comparing to slaves of the Colonial U.S.

    Read More

  • Olaudah Equiano And Phillis Wheatley's View On Religion

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    The origin tale of the African American population in the American soil reveals a narrative of a diasporic faction that endeavored brutal sufferings to attain fundamental human rights. Captured and forcefully transported in unbearable conditions over the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, a staggering number of Africans were destined to barbaric slavery as a result of the increasing demand of labor in Brazil and the Caribbean. African slaves endured abominable conditions, merged various cultures to construct a blended society that pillared them through the physical and psychological hardships, and hungered for their freedom and recognition.

    Read More

  • Slaves And Summary: The Transatlantic Slavery By William Snelgrave

    1572 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although a practice not viewed positively by all, slavery, a least in this document, could be justified in the eyes of slavers.

    Read More

  • Abolish The Transatlantic Slave Trade

    1642 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Transatlantic Slave Trade started out as merchant trading of different materials for slaves. With obtaining a controllable form of labor being their main focus, the Europeans began to move to Africa and take over their land. The natives had to work on the newly stolen land to have a source of income to provide for their families.Soon others Europeans began to look for free labor by scouring the continent of Africa. Because Europeans were not familiar with the environment, Africans were employed to kidnap other Africans for the Transatlantic Slave Trade. After trade routes were established, different economies began to link together, and various items were exchanged across the world. As the Atlantic Slave Trade grew larger, problems began

    Read More

  • How Does Slavery Affect Us Today

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    Attention getter: Hundreds of years ago blacks were taken from their homes, placed on ships where they were packed together and lived amongst their feces, and were brought to America where they were forced to work with no pay. Slave masters used brutal techniques and horrible methods of torture to control and manipulate black slaves.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Slavery: The Life Of A Slave

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fredrick Douglass’ autobiography is in a broad sense an overview of slavery and all that comes with it along with the life of Fredrick Douglass himself. To be more specific though, it is the story of a slave losing his innocence, and losing his ignorance so to speak as well. A man learning the ways of the world through education- a painful but prosperous journey that ultimately led to his escape of slavery and a life of freedom.

    Read More

  • Triangular trade

    346 Words  | 1 Pages

    On the second leg of this trade slaves were transported to the West Indies, this leg was called the middle passage. This part was horrible for the slaves. About 50% of all the slaves on one ship would not make it to the West Indies because of disease or brutal mistreatment. Hundreds of men, woman and children were cramped together for most of the journey, occasionally able move an almost decent amount.

    Read More

  • Middle Passage Essay

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Majority of the slaves originated from West and Central Africa, mostly Nigeria, Angola, Ghana and the coast of Sierra Leone. Due to this movement, most of the characteristics of African Culture such as their beliefs, music, and traditions, which were moved to America resulted in cultural incorporation. Auctioning of the Africans marked the start of the middle passage. The europeans carried a cargo that contained iron, gunpowder, fabric, and guns, which were exchanged for africans when they landed. After loading their cargo, the Americans embarked on their journey and traded the slaves for other

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Documentary ' The Black Atlantic '

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...served as a pillar in the economy of one of the earliest forms of globalization.”. On the other hand, the documentary provides facts illustrating approximately how many slaves died during this monstrous journey. The book describes the middle passage as the name given to the journey across the Atlantic in which many slaves died. According to the textbook, “In the North, slaves worked as field hands on farms and as domestic servants, dockworkers, and craftspeople in cities. But because of their labor-intensive cash crops, the market for slaves was much more lucrative in the South and the Chesapeake.” The documentary only discusses slavery up to 1800 however as we know slavery continued beyond that year with the cause of the civil war in 1861 which was a war fought over slavery. Overall, I highly recommend watching the documentary as it is educational and entertaining.

    Read More

  • An Interview With an American Slave

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is the account of an ex-slave by the name of William Barker who now resides in Bethany, AL. He is approximately 95 years old and lives in a little shack with a plot of land. He has worked for some local townsfolk doing some grounds keeping and gardening since he was freed when he was 20. But for the most part, Barker keeps to himself. He has no wife and no children. He is only 5 foot 4 and may weigh about 145 lbs. As a slave he worked as a gardner, and later learned to cook, but soon thereafter was freed. Gardening is all he seems to know. However, he seems very proficient at hunting. He says that is the only way he keep alive, living off what God gives him from the land and water. He was son to Frances William and Eliza William. His father died in the war. Because of his size and ability to cook, William Barker did not go to war. His mammy died within weeks of being free due to starvation. Here is his account

    Read More

  • The Physical And Psychological Effects Of Slave Trade In Olaudah Equiano

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    The middle passage was a sea journey by slave ships from West Africa to the West Indies and Americas from 1601-1857 (University). The first successful African author, Olaudah Equiano (Donaldson) portrays the vivid details and personalizes these destructive forces of slave trading during the middle passage. In his narrative, Equiano influenced British abolitionists, as well as European slave masters, and convicted them of their wrongdoing. Slave trading during the middle passage was the most destructive thing to happen within the African culture because of the harsh physical and psychological effects, inhumane treatment, and dehumanization of slaves.

    Read More

  • Ida B Wells Research Paper

    1829 Words  | 4 Pages

    were losing their rights, and were forced to do other work that was similar to slavery. African

    Read More

  • Alex Haley's Roots Analysis

    474 Words  | 1 Pages

    Men from African cities were kidnapped and sold to white men for guns. They travelled through the Middle Passage; getting beaten up, force fed, and chained; to their new owners. Once they have reached the Americas, they are not treated any better. They constantly work from day to night with their feets shackled and would get whipped if they did not work fast

    Read More

  • Middle Passage

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    First of all it is important to examine how many African slaves were brought to the New World. The Middle Passage is infamous route of the ships that carried slaves to the Americas. After the arrival to the New World, the slaves were sold or exchanged for the valuable goods. The term Middle Passage might sound somewhat romantic, but in reality it stands as a one of the most terrible events in history. The Middle Passage is the passage of bonded slaves from West Africa to the Americas. In the beginning, there was a trade between Europeans and African leaders who sold their enemies and disabled people in exchange for unique gifts such as guns, tobacco, iron bars and etc. But at the later stages of slavery, Europeans often kidnapped Africans at the costal area of Western Africa and then sent to ships that sailed them to the New World where this new free work force was needed to help stabilize the new nation.

    Read More

  • The Middle Passage

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Middle Passage (or Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade) was a voyage that took slaves from Africa to the Americas via tightly packed ships. The trade started around the early 1500s, and by 1654 about 8,000-10,000 slaves were being imported from Africa to the Americas every year. This number continued to grow, and by 1750 that figure had climbed to about 60,000-70,000 slaves a year. Because of the lack of necessary documents, it is hard to tell the exact number of Africans taken from their homeland. But based on available clues and data, an estimated 9-15 million were taken on the Middle Passage, and of that about 3-5 million died. While the whole idea seems sick and wrong, many intelligent people and ideas went in to making the slave trade economically successful.

    Read More

More about The Middle Passage: The Inhuman Journey Of Slaves To America

Open Document