The Tragedy of the Middle Passage
Feb 24, 2016
The Tragedy of the Middle Passage
The Capture of the Africans
In order to promote capture, Europeans traded guns to West Coast tribes
Initial Fears
1) White skin
2) Ships
3) The Atlantic Ocean
Construction of the slave shipMaximize “cargo” to maximize profit
Space alotted each slaveLength= 6 feetHeight = 4 feet, 6 inches if luckyWidth= 18 inches
“Tight Packers”Height = 18 inchesConsequences?
OwnershipBranding
Conditions Endured:
1) Seasickness = suffocation
2) Going to the bathroom= filth
3) Language barrier= deafening noise
• Cries for help• Desperately calling out for family• Prayers• Overcome by the whip
4) Darkness
5) Stifling temperatures (heat)
6) The chains- one size
Maintaining disciplineThe Iron Muzzle
Ensuring profit= healthy slavesNecessity of exercise
A hopeless alternativeThe ships followed by sharks
A refusal to eat = the funnel
Promotion of the System:
1) The MOST expensive slaves?
• Rape= Pregnancy= Profits
2) Desensitization
• Lack of remorse or sympathy
• Reinforces African inferiority
Shocking Statistics:
1) Expected death rate on voyage= 12 %to 18%
2) Middle Passage endured by= 30 to 60 million Africans
3) Length of the Atlantic Slave Trade= @ 300 years