USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Middle Passage, the forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Middle Passage was the stage of the Atlantic slave trade in which millions of enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas as part of the triangular slave trade.

Detailed explanation-3: -Beginning in the 16th century and for centuries after, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Dutch traders systematically purchased large numbers of African people, many of whom had been captured by the traders’ African allies in wars or in raids, and transported them to the American colonies for permanent enslavement.

Detailed explanation-4: -The captives were about to embark on the infamous Middle Passage, so called because it was the middle leg of a three-part voyage–a voyage that began and ended in Europe. The first leg of the voyage carried a cargo that often included iron, cloth, brandy, firearms, and gunpowder.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Middle Passage itself lasted roughly 80 days on ships ranging from small schooners to massive, purpose-built “slave ships.” Ship crews packed humans together on or below decks without space to sit up or move around. Without ventilation or sufficient water, about 15% grew sick and died.