Industrial Revolution: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

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The industrial revolution brought upon the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The invention of steam engines allowed sea travel which powered the triangular trade. This provided a labour source for factories and materials for the increasing population. There were two ways to transport slaves. The loose pack method and the tight pack method. The loose pack method would allow more room for slaves so that less would die and arrive in better condition. These slaves would fetch a higher price in the markets. The tight pack method would have more slaves per ship. More would die but there would always be slaves to sell. The tight pack method was most popular however it did not take into account the amount of human suffering. Source 2(b) (View of chained African slaves…) shows the tight pack method . Of the 12 million slaves traded throughout this time, only 11 million barely survived. Of the 11 million who survived they have deep scars of the …show more content…

There was no comfortable position as they were in various metal constraints. They were also fed the bare minimum requirement and had limited access to fresh water. When supplies were low there would be rations. Sometimes the food was rotten and nibbled on by various bugs and mice. The weather would also contribute to their suffering. In summer the heat was intense and in winter it was freezing as there was no blankets and bedding. The slaves did not want to be there and were kept on the ship by force. The ship provided for many diseases which contributed to the main reason the slaves died. Source 2(a) states that the diseases included “Diarrhoea, dysentery whooping cough, and respiratory diseases as well as worms.” A few months after arrival some slaves would die. Slaves on the verge of death were labelled as ‘refuse slaves’. They were fed and tended for in hope that they might recover and then be sold to provide profit for the

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