Slavery
Slavery in 19th Century America
From the late 18th Century to the end of the Civil war, millions of African Slaves were shipped from Western Africa to the deep south of America. This was the largest forced migration in human history as well as the greatest maritime tragedy.1
During the 17th and 18th century America had excellent farming land, but didn’t have enough workers to grow the necessary crops. African slaves were thought to be the cheapest and most reliable source of labour. The work of these slaves helped to make America rich.2
Trading was often referred to as Triangular Trade. Most slaving voyages were made up of three separate stages, the Outward Passage, the Middle Passage and the Inward Passage. The outward passage was used to trade guns, alcohol and iron. The inward Passage was the journey back to Europe with cargoes of sugar, rum and tobacco, these all being products bought with the proceeds of slave sales. The Middle passage is a term used to describe the slave’s forced journeys from the African coast to the Americas. It involved the deprivation of their freedom, followed by suffering so severe that it challenged their will to survive. Men were crammed below decks restrained by handcuffs and leg irons. Platforms were fitted between decks to accommodate an extra layer of slaves. Each was less than a metre high. Women were kept in separate quarters and were not normally restrained but were treated with the same amount of brutality as the men. The journey normally lasted for over seven weeks. Slaves were taken up on deck for exercise twice a day. As the journey progressed living conditions became horrific. Slaves suffered from serious illnesses such as dysentery and smallpox. They had to vomit where they sat. With the physical hardships came mental distress. Many threw themselves overboard, and if rescued would be beaten for trying to escape. 3 and 4
Historians believe that 13 million slaves endured and...
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