1. Slavery & the Middle Passage

3. Today’s Objectives Describe the Triangle Trade and what was traded.
Explain what is meant by the “middle passage.”
Describe the evolution of the African Slave Trade and its consequences.

4. The Triangle Trade
Trade route with three legs.

5. Leg 1
Guns, cloth, iron, and beer are taken from Europe to Africa.

6. Leg 2 – The Middle Passage
Voyage from West Africa across the Atlantic to the New World to be used as slaves in the plantation system.

7. Leg 3
Sugar is taken to Europe to be made into rum. Other raw materials, lumber, whale oil, etc – are taken to be used in Europe.

8. Triangular Trade linked:
Europe
Africa
Americas

10. The “Middle Passage”
“I’m in the belly of the beast, the bottom of the boat, And home is a place I'll never get to go.”

11. Coffin Position Below Deck

12. Slave Ships
Once aboard the ships the blacks would be packed below deck. Captains of slave ships were known as either "loose packers" or "tight packers", depending upon how many slaves they crammed into the space they had. Most ships, especially those of the later 18th century, were "tight packers", carrying a huge quantity of slaves who were often forced to lie in spaces smaller than that of a grave, or in some cases stacked spoon-fashion on top of one another. Regardless, life for a slave in the "tween decks", as they were called, was extremely uncomfortable. In addition to extreme overcrowding, there was also inadequate ventilation, not to mention little or no sanitation. Although some captains would have their crew periodically clean the "tween decks" with hot vinegar, most chose rather to leave them alone, resulting in their atrociously unclean condition. In addition to disease and suffocation below deck, it would not be uncommon to find the body of a slave completely covered by lice.
The men were packed and secured in irons to platforms below deck, and had to either crouch or lie down in the tightly confined space. They were made to lie in their own vomit and filth. The women and children were placed in a separate section below deck or in a secured area above. The unhygienic and overcrowded conditions led to the spread of such diseases like dysentery, or the flux, infected people being forced to stay below deck, sometimes until death. Their bodies would eventually be removed and thrown overboard. The living would experience the pain and agony of the sick and dying.
Example of spoon-like tight packing.
Shackles or iron bilboes.

13. The Middle Passage
Capture – We will read together. Answer the questions on a separate page.
The Middle Passage –We’ll look, listen and discuss. Then answer the questions on your separate page.
Equiano & the Middle Passage
As you watch and listen, take notes on the things that Equiano experiences: the sights, sounds, smells, feelings, questions on the voyage.

14. Good Weather Allowed to roam on deck Fed two small meals:
Boiled rice, millet, or cornmeal and a daily ration of a half-pint of water in a “pannikin”
Horse beans, the cheapest food available
During periods of good weather, the slaves would be brought up on deck in the morning. At this time the men would be shackled together with iron chains, while the women and children would be allowed to roam about on deck. At about nine o' clock in the morning they were given their first meal of the day. Interestingly, slaves from different sections along the west African coast would often be fed different meals. Those from the Northern part of the Guinea Coast would be fed boiled rice, millet, or cornmeal. Slaves from the Bight of Biafra had stewed yams, and those from still farther south in the Congo River region would be fed starchy manioc, cassava flour, or banana-like fruits. Sometimes a few lumps of raw meat would be thrown in with their food to keep them healthy. It was also at this time in the morning that the slaves were given their daily ration of a half-pint of water in a small pan, called a pannikin. In the late afternoon came the slaves' second and only other meal of the day. Sometimes it was the same as their first, but most captains were not that humane. The afternoon meal usually consisted only of horse beans, very large beans which are used to feed horses. They were the cheapest form of food available. The beans were boiled until they were pulpy and then covered with a mixture of palm oil, flour, and water. To cover up the horrible taste, large amounts of red pepper, called "slabber sauce", were added.

15. Exercise "At the savage Captain’s beck,
Had to be in acceptable physical condition to maximize profit
“Dancing”: Men were forced to jump up and down to the beat of a drum until their ankles bled from their chains
Crew members whipped slaves who refused to dance
"At the savage Captain’s beck,
Now like brutes they make us prance
Smack the cat about the Deck
And in scorn they bid us dance"
The captains needed to keep the slaves in acceptable physical condition if they were to be sold at high prices, so each morning after breakfast the slaves were "danced" on deck, in order to give them exercise. Still shackled together, the men were forced to jump up and down until often the flesh of their ankles was raw and bleeding from the iron chains which bound them together. The women and children, who were free of such bonds were better able to dance to the rhythm that was pounded out on an African drum or iron kettle, sometimes with the accompaniment of a fiddle or African banjo played by a crew member. The slaves, otherwise kept miserably in the "tween decks", enjoyed this dancing, as it was their only form of physical recreation during the entire day. Each day at sunset the slaves would be placed back below deck to rest in the misery and filth that was the "tween decks". During the morning exercises members of the crew roved about the deck carrying whips and would beat those slaves who refused to "dance". Although most whips were made only of simple rope, the wicked cat-o'-nine-tails was also used aboard many slavers. Consisting of nine cords coated with tar, each with a knot at the end, the cat-o'-nine-tails could slash the skin of a slave's back to ribbons in only a few lashes.
This late 18th century verse refers to the action now known as ‘dancing the slave’. The enslaved Africans were brought daily above deck and were made to ‘dance’ as a way of exercising their muscles after the long periods of cramped positions below deck. The ‘cat’ referred to in the poem was the ‘cat-o-nine-tails’, a whip with nine strands, each of which would have had a razor like instrument on the end.

16. Bad Weather The worst time of the Middle Passage
Slaves remained below deck all day and night
These “tween decks” were filled with slaves (live and dead), blood, vomit, urine, and human waste
Slaves not fed as usual- forced to scrounge for crumbs
Yet the worst time of the Middle Passage came for the slaves when the ship was met with periods of bad weather. During storms the blacks were forced to remain below deck all day and night. The holds were dark, filthy, slimy, and they stank of death. The "tween decks" were often full not only with slaves, both living and dead, but also with blood, vomit, urine, and human waste. Also during periods of inclement weather the slaves were not fed as usual. They were often forced to scrounge for small crumbs and pieces of spoiled food and drink from stagnant puddles of extremely impure water.
Amistad- Scene 11

17. “Bedwarming”
Crew member or captain took slave women from the tween decks at night
Physically and sexually abused
This practice demonstrated the figurative and literal rape of the African-American culture by the slave traders of the Middle Passage
Another inhuman practice of the crews of the slave ships was that of "bedwarming". In this custom a member of the crew, or sometimes even the captain, would take a slave women out from the 'tween decks during the night. The woman would be taken back to either the captain's chamber or the crew's living quarters and be beaten and physically forced to have sexual relations with the crew member. This practice demonstrated the complete rape of the African-American culture by the slave traders of the Middle Passage, both figuratively and literally.

18. Made weapons of chains and shackles to attempt to kill crew
Revolts and
Punishments
Made weapons of chains and shackles to attempt to kill crew
Uprisings usually put down quickly by crew  Most Africans who attempted to revolt were killed in the process
Africans harmed themselves to threaten cargo (suicide, starvation)  Crew force fed slaves
A large number of revolts took place while the slave ship was still in view of the African coastline, and sometimes communities on the coast would help the enslaved on the ship.
Some of the slaves who were transported along the Middle Passage attempted to rebel against the captain and crew. The negroes would make crude weapons out of their chains and shackles and attempt to kill crew members during the time when they were on deck. However, these uprisings were usually put down quickly by the crew, which used advanced weapons such as pistols and rifles to slaughter numerous slaves. Hence, although there were some successful slave mutinies along the Middle Passage, most Africans who attempted to revolt were killed in the process and thus put out of their misery.
The Africans also frequently resorted to other acts of rebellion on the ships, including harming themselves, thus threatening the "cargo" of their captors. Many who had been taken from their homeland chose to take their own lives rather than to continue to suffer the unbearable conditions of the slave ship. Many jumped overboard when they had an opportunity. Others found ways to cut their throats. Some refused to eat and eventually starved to death. However, the slave captains, wanting to maintain as many of their slaves alive as possible, soon began employing methods to force feed the negroes. On some ships coal or fire would be placed near the lips of those who refused to eat. There were also captains who reportedly poured melted lead on slaves who were on hunger strikes. Another method used to force feed the Africans was a device called the speculum oris. The speculum oris was a wooden instrument, which looked much like a pair of dividers, and was forced into the slave's mouth. Then a thumb screw would be turned, causing the legs of the speculum oris to open like a pair of pliers. Once the black man's jaws were forced open food would be crammed down his mouth, often causing intense gagging and vomiting.
These acts were what Europeans called suicide, but what the Africans called physical and spiritual redemption from the horrendous experiences of the Middle Passage.

19. One of the few successful slave mutinies
A group of Africans led by Congolese chief Cinque killed captain and most of crew on the Amistad
Long legal battle  Supreme Court ruled the Africans to be free
One of the few successful, and certainly the most celebrated, slave revolts along the Middle Passage occurred on the Amistad. In this incident, A group of captive Africans, led by a Congolese chief named Cinque, who were bound for Cuba rose up during their voyage across the Atlantic in They were able to kill the captain and most of the crew, completing a successful mutiny. They left a few crew members alive to sail them back to Africa, but the remaining sailors tricked the Africans and landed in the United States as well. A long legal battle ensued, as men even as prominent as former President John Quincy Adams championed the Amistad blacks' cause for freedom. Eventually the Supreme Court ruled that the Amistad passengers were legally free and allowed them to return to Africa. These events were dramatized in the recent Steven Spielberg movie "Amistad", which has renewed tremendous popular interest in the history of the slave trade.
Amistad- Scene 1

20. Extreme overcrowding, deplorable conditions caused many to die
Death Toll
Extreme overcrowding, deplorable conditions caused many to die
Dysentery, smallpox, ophthalmia, malaria, yellow fever, scurvy
Gone mad  flogged or clubbed to death and thrown overboard
Sick  starved
Contagious  thrown overboard so as not to infect others
Suicide, death from revolting
Many of the Africans taken aboard the slave ships and transported along the Middle Passage did not live to see the shores of North America. A great many expired during the voyage as a result of the extreme overcrowding and deplorable conditions present aboard the vessel. Many suffocated or succumbed to dysentery while in the hold. Many died along the voyage due to epidemics of disease, which spread like wildfire in the tightly packed 'tween decks. On board the slavers there were numerous outbreaks of the dreaded smallpox, as well as ophthalmia, a highly contagious disease which quickly resulted in complete blindness. These terrible ailments could rapidly afflict an entire cargo of slaves, as well as the crew, and wipe out entire ships in a matter of days.
A few of the Africans were driven insane by the claustrophobic misery they experienced while on the ships. Those who had gone mad were often brought up on deck, at which time they were either flogged or clubbed to death and then thrown overboard. Those suffering from smallpox or ophthalmia were not quite so fortunate. Anyone showing even the slightest sign of either of these diseases was thrown overboard alive. This was done by the captain to prevent at all costs an epidemic aboard the ship.
It is difficult for scholars to even estimate the number of Africans that died during the Middle Passage. Very few exact records were kept of those who expired during the voyage, but most historians feel reasonably confident in saying that nearly as many Africans died en route as made it to the Americas. From the records that do exist, it is telling that a voyage in which only one-quarter of the African captives died during the trip was considered a success. Although we will never know for sure how many unfortunate Africans met their deaths along the Middle Passage, it is certain that the death toll was staggering and that many of those taken from their homeland never even made it across the Atlantic. The millions of blacks that perished in the Middle Passage show the extreme callousness of those involved in the slave trade and the gross inhumanity with which the Africans were treated.

21. The Evolution of African Slavery
Some Native Americans died from fighting the Europeans but the majority died of disease.
African slaves were better at fighting off diseases.
Old world
Immunities that built up over time
As colonies expanded, the demand for slaves grew.
“Cash Crops” (sugar and rice) = need for lots of labor
Fewer indentured servants were coming from England

22. A life in slavery…
Read the sections “Auction and Sale”, and “The Plantation and Punishment” and write your answers on your separate page.

23. Slavery in the Americas
African slaves were auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Slaves worked in mines or fields or as servants. Most worked in fields.
Lifetime of bondage that was carried on for generations.
Slaves kept African traditions alive – music & stories
Resistance and rebellion – more common than you might think!

26. Stono 1739

27. Consequences in Africa
Many societies in Africa lost their fittest, best people over several generations.
African families were separated.
Introduction of guns.

28. Consequences in the Americas
Led to growth of the colonies
Economic (plantations)
Cultural (strict racial hierarchy)
Led to economic and social divisions among regions  Civil War
Intermarriage and mixed race populations (but not in British North America)