Middle passage

Tom Feelings Middle Passage | Passage

The Middle Passage, 1749 | Historians estimate that approximately 472,000 Africans were kidnapped and brought to the North American mainland between 1619 and 1860. | Historians estimate that approximately 472,000 Africans were kidnapped and brought to the North American mainland between 1619 and 1860. Of these, nearly 18 percent died during the transatlantic voyage from Africa to the New World. Known as the "middle passage," this sea voyage could range from one to six months, depending on…

More than 12.5 million people were taken from Africa in the four centuries of the Atlantic slave trade. The transport of enslaved Africans formed one leg of the Triangular Trade, an economic system that drastically altered the societies of four continents. The sheer scale of the trade can obscure the experiences of individuals. In this lesson, students consider individual experiences of the Middle Passage by exploring a textbook account and four primary sources.

Illustration showing the USS Constitution, a three-masted frigate launched in 1797.

Slave body positions in a slave ship during the Middle Passage

This Tribute is for the ancestors who are unknown because they were omitted from the history books. Unknown because they were victims of an early demise and never given a chance at life.

Most Kidnappings of Africans From the 15th to 19th century, the Portuguese exported 4.7 million enslaved Africans to the Americas, making it Europe’s largest trafficker

The African Diaspora (fl. 600-1900) is the spread of people beyond Africa, mainly by way of the Arab and Western slave trade. The 18 million or so who left Africa have grown to more than 180 millio…