Understanding Slavery Initiative: 1.

Define Middle Passage Middle Passage describes the period that Africans went through in the holds of slave ships as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean 2. Describe slavery in Africa before the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Slavery in Africa resembled that of the serfs in Europe. However, European involvement would lead to harsher slavery 3. What was the March to the Coast? After being captured, the captives would be marched to the coast, joined together in pairs at the leg and a chain attached them at the neck. 4. What was going on in the coastal slave forts? Within the forts, conflict and revolts were common as well as their bloody suppression routine. This accounted for many deaths during the transatlantic slave trade. 5. Describe the slave ship experience through the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean Voyages lasted six to eight weeks. Crew members would use iron muzzles and whips to exert control since they were outnumbered 10 to 1 by their captives. Captives were chained together and given little space to move around.. When diseases began to spread, the sicker captives were thrown overboard. In all, about 30% of transported slaves never reached the Americas. 6. How should we understand the selling seasoning and the preference of slaves? Seasoning was the process through which slaves were forced under torture to accept new identities. This lead to some slave suicide as well as death under the pressure of the seasoning. After several transactions, preferences were developed. For ex amples, the Mandingos and the Wolofs were groups that were expected to be effective slaves. Understanding Slavery Initiative: 1. How does Olaudah Equiano contrast his slave experience in Africa with that of his slave ship experience. He contrasts the benign nature of his experience of slavery in African with his harsh treatment he experienced on the European ships. He became so sick from the smells of the ship, that he became too sick to eat, and when he refused to eat, the crew members tortured him. 2. Who was Ali Eisami and how does he describe his slave ship experience? Ali Eisami was an enslaved Kanuri man from northern Nigeria. He says that on the ship, the crew man took all the slaves clothes and threw them in the water. Then they chained people together. There was no water so many died of thirst. Then, the next morning the crew men would have to through them overboard as well. 3. How does John Casseneuve describe the African slave ship and who was he? John Casseneuve, first man on the London slave ship Don Carlos, describes an incident where the captives managed to arm themselves and attack the crew. He says the killed several people by stabbing them and cutting their legs. But even after this revolt was suppressed, the captives still resisted by committing suicide 4. Who was Alexander Falcanbridge and what does he report?

Alexander was a surgeon on several slave ships and later became and abolitionist and governor of Sierra Leone. He says that captives, especially women were far more affected than the Europeans were, often resulting in death. Women also encountered sexual abuse and rape.