The Middle Passage
I often imagine a child going outside to collect firewood for breakfast when suddenly, they are snatched and forcibly subdued while being taken away from their family, home, and the only life they knew. This would have been the fate of millions of Africans who were kidnapped by slave traders and forced into a life of bondage and servitude. As the slave trade grew, the slave traders began to go deeper and deeper into the African interior to meet the demand. The slaves were tied or chained together and forced to march at a brutal pace for days on end. Any of the captured slaves who thought to cause problems or hinder the slave traders by pleading tiredness, feigning sickness, or attempting escape was beaten to near-death or killed outright. This method of brutality and fear was an effective way of controlling the captives and dissuading them from attempting to escape. Once they reached the coast, the captives were kept in the dungeons of one of the slave forts- which dotted the Western coast of Africa — until the ships arrived. The ships would then carry them to their new homes and new masters. It is estimated that over 6 million slaves took this voyage, and over 54,000 voyages were made between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Before the voyage, however, there would be an auction of sorts, where all the captives were brought out of the dungeons and made to stand to be stared and prodded at by prospective buyers. This process would then be repeated once again by those who survived the journey when they reached their final destination. In case the slaves got the wrong idea that they would be released if they were not ‘bought’, the slave traders put any captives considered too old, sick, or undesirable for purchase to immediate death; often by decapitation, witnessed by everyone. Again, this harsh measure was used to prevent the captives from attempting to sabotage the sale by pretending they were sick and lazy. I have also read various accounts where newborn babies were snatched from their mother’s arms and thrown overboard before the start of the journey because they would be unable to withstand the journey. The mothers in despair would throw themselves overboard to be united with their baby in death rather than to continue. For many of the captives, they saw death as the only means of escape; either by inciting a beating or by throwing themselves into the ocean. Therefore, once they were put on the ships, the slaves were chained together to prevent this. Packed practically on top of each other with barely enough room to sit, the slaves were forced to make the journey in inhumane and intolerable conditions.
There has been a lot of literature from ex-slaves, doctors on board the slave ships, and former-crewmen about the truly horrible conditions that the slaves lived through on board. The voyage to America took the longest at almost three months. Often, by the end of the journey, nearly half of the slaves would have died. Because the slave traders profited by the number of slaves that could be sold at the end of the journey, the ships were crammed to overcapacity with slaves. Ironically, this resulted in the rampant spread of diseases like dysentery. Although a few ships had areas designated for slaves to relieve themselves, most ships set out buckets that were inadequate for the number of people on board and they often overflowed with urine and feces. As well, most of the slaves were kept in enclosed areas to prevent escape/suicide through a porthole. The lack of ventilation created an unbearable heat and perspiration from all the people packed into such confined spaces. The combined smell of sweat, fear, unwashed bodies, and human waste all contributed to sickness and disease. Also as slaves died, it could be days before anyone realized that they were dead and the body was taken away to be thrown overboard. Indeed, some slaves became so sick that they couldn’t move and sat in a pool of their own vomit and diarrhea. It is no wonder that many slaves did not survive the journey.
If by chance you did survive, you would have been given barely enough food and water to sustain you. In most cases, it was inedible anyway. Men were always kept locked up for fear of an uprising on the ship, but the women were given more freedom and sometimes given duties in the kitchen. However, this freedom came at a steep price as the women were also victims of attack and rape from the crew on board. Unfortunately, for the slaves, there would be no reprieve from their horrific journey. In my next blog, I will write about the fate which awaited so many of the slaves once they reached the shores of America.
