Slavery In The Middle Passage

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The Middle Passage is a term used to describe the trip across the Atlantic made by captive Africans. The Middle Passage is an important link to the Slave Trade. For many African people, it marked the beginning of a long journey to where an unknown land and future would await them. They were treated as cargo, endured extreme torture and horrible living conditions. The African prisoners were being taken to a scary, unknown world awaiting an unknown future. They were taken from their families, homes and didn’t know why or where they were going. Many Africans believed they were going to be eaten by the Europeans. Europeans considered Africans as savage and inferior. They were treated as cargo and placed below the deck. There was no place for them to go to the bathroom or even a chance to be unchained. An Estimated 40 percent of the cargo died during the sixteenth century, 15 percent during the seventeenth century and between 5 and 10 percent in later years.…show more content…
No one was treated better than the next, but women faced some conditions that men and children didn’t. Sexual abuse and rape from ship crewmembers was very common for them. Many Africans chose to not eat in hopes of starving to death. Some jumped the boat and drowned. To conclude, the Middle Passage is clearly the roots of the slavery that occurred in the United States. Learning about the Middle Passage, gives us a better understanding of the long journey that the slaves endured. How being treated as cargo made them less superior and the torture and living conditions were unimaginable. Hopefully we can end the road, which racism has paved in this country. But more importantly, that no other human being should ever have to go through what the African slaves
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