Slavery & the Middle Passage Geography of Slavery 1619 In
1619, the first Africans were brought to the colony Jamestown,
Virginia by the Dutch. Enslaved Africans mostly came from the area
stretching from the Senegal River in Africa to Angola. Capture
Approx. 60 forts build along the west coast of Africa.
Walked in slave caravans to the forts some 1000 miles away.
Selected by the Europeans and branded. One half survived the death
march. Place in underground dungeons until they were boarded on
ships. The Middle Passage After capture, Africans were packed
tightly into slave ships. The death rate of the passengers was 50%.
The middle leg of a three part voyage. Began and ended in Europe.
Carried cargo of iron, cloth, brandy, firearms, gunpowder Lnded on
Africas Slave Coast and exchanged cargo for Africans Set sail for
the Americas, where slaves were exchanged for sugar, tobacco,
mlasses. Final brought the ship back to Europe. Middle Passage
Statistics
Roughly half of the slaves abducted died during the march to the
coast. An estimated million Africans were forcibly transported
across the Atlantic from An estimated 2 million died during the
Middle Passage. Slaves chained together and crammed into spaces
sometimes less than four feet high. Slavers packed three of four
hundred Africans into the ship cargo holds. Little ventilation,
human waste, horrific odors.Unclean. Tight packing - belly to back,
chained in twos, wrist to ankle (660+), naked. Loose packing -
shoulder to shoulder chained wrist to wrist or ankle to ankle. Men
and woman separated (men placed towards bow, women toward stern).
Fed once of twice a day and brought on deck for limited times.
Journey lasted 6-8 weeks. Due to high mortality rate, cargo was
insured (reimbursed for drowning accidents but not for deaths from
disease of sickness) Common to dump your cargo for sickness or food
shortages. Slave mutinies on board ships were common (1 out of
every 10 voyages across the Atlantic experience a revolt). Covert
resistance (attempted suicide, jumped overboard, refusal to eat).
Destination, Auction, and Seasoning
Most Africans landed in Brazil with the least number landing in
North America. Slaves were auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Slaves were put through a process of seasoning to get them ready
for work. They learned an European language, were named an European
name, and were shown labor requirements. Slave Auction Block Life
of a Slave Most slaves had Sundays off and they went to
church.
Most slaves could not read or write, and it was illegal for them to
learn to do so. Slave Codes-They could not:leave their home without
a pass, carry a weapon, gather in groups,own property, legally
marry, defend themselves against a white person, or speak in court.
"All Negro, mulatto and Indian slaves within this dominion
"All Negro, mulatto and Indian slaves within this dominion...shall
be held to be real estate. If any slave resist his
master...correcting such slave, and shall happen to be killed in
such correction...the master shall be free of all punishment...as
if such accident never happened."--Virginia Code of Law, 1705.
Punishment Slaves were often brutally punished for
misbehaving.
Punishments included:whipping, branding, being sold, gagged
(silence), and other torturous methods were used. The Fugitive
Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States
Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850
between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers.
This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise
and heightened Northern fears of a 'slave power conspiracy'. It
declared that all runaway slaves be brought back to their masters.
Abolitionists nicknamed it the "Bloodhound Law" for the dogs that
were used to track down runaway slaves.[1] The Civil War and the
Emancipation Proclamation
Early in the war, Lincoln began to think about ending slavery in
the South to help end the war. On September 22, 1862 he issued the
Emancipation Proclamation which declared an end to slavery in the
states in rebellion on January 1, 1863. What did it do?Nothing.It
only freed slaves in the states that had seceded. End of the Civil
War and the 13th Amendment
The South lost, and the states were forced to accept the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution before they could be readmitted into
the Union. 13th Amendment-It abolished slavery in the United
States. It was ratified in 1865.