Aims By the end of the lesson you will have: 1)What was the ‘ Middle Passage ’ ? How were slaves treated? 2) Write a detailed account of what conditions were like for slaves onboard the slave ships.

Captured! Once Africans were captured they were chained and held in special prisons called ‘ barracoons ’ or in makeshift prisons on the beach. When the slave ship or ‘ slavers ’ as they were known arrived the slaves were loaded on board.

The Middle Passage Europe Africa North America South America

Cloth, Guns Slaves Sugar,Cotton,Tobacco

Olaudah Equiano

We know what the conditions were like on slave transports for the slaves mainly from the book ‘ The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano ’ in 1789, which he wrote himself. It gives a graphic account of what it was like under the decks.

‘ The stench of the hold, the heat and the crowding, which meant that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. ’ Olaudah Equiano

‘ The situation was made worse by the rubbing of the chains and the filth of the lavatory-buckets into which the children often fell. The shrieks of the women and the groans of the dying rendered the whole a scene of horror. ’ Olaudah Equiano

Slaves were taken up on deck to give them some fresh air, to check they were still alive and to wash them down.

The Amistad slave rebellion

This is one of the most famous revolts by slaves. However, several other ‘ slavers ’ were taken over by the slaves onboard.