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The Triangular Slave Trade

Slaves from Africa offered the solution of inexpensive and unlimited crops e.g. sugar, cane, tobacco, and cotton. The slave trade between Western Africa and America reached its peak of over 80,000 Africans annually crossed the Atlantic to spend the rest of their lives in chains (working as slaves). Most slaves didn’t even end up making the whole journey.

The Middle Passage

The middle passage was where slaves got shipped from country to country. Some of the many slaves are sent to be warriors to help a country fight (- normally the strong and healthy ones), and others were just used for normal labour, like: housework, farming etc. The men sat at the front of the ship (bow), the boys at the centre and the women at the back of the ship (stern). All the slaves got crammed in one tiny level of the ship, and the majority of the slaves didn't even survive this journey for many reasons: they didn't get given food or water, they didn't check slaves for deceases before they borded the ship and since they sat so close it was hard to prevent it, and most of the slaves weren't even strong and healthy enough to board the ship let alone take this long journey. Some slaves were sent to be traded because they had broken the laws of their own tribe by committing crimes. They were sent to holding camps and kept in cages until a slave trader and his ship arrived. All the slaves were exchanged with goods from places (read top for info on the triangular slave trade).