The Middle Passage slaves endured an incredibly long journey, lasting between one and three-months. As they were crammed in with other enslaved people, they didn’t want to go on this journey. Slave-owners treated them as worthless, unpaid animals. They then debarked the ship. Slavery on the Middle Passage is a horrible experience.
The Middle Passage was a horrible experience for slaves. Slavery was a horrible experience for slaves who were forced to work on another continent. The slaves didn’t know where they would end up, what they might face, or whether they would still be alive. Slave were dropped below the deck to be exposed to the horrible scene that was waiting for them. The slaves had their faces branded as if they were animals. They were also completely dehumanized. It was impossible to be comfortable in the least. The air was scarce. Fresh air was scarce. The air was so crowded that it almost made you suffocate. As soon as the humidity from the slaves’ sweat and tears began to build up, the air became unsuitable to breathe. The slaves were beginning to feel desperate and wished for death. It seemed like the only way they could escape what they had been experiencing. When they had the opportunity, many slaves drowned by jumping into the sea. Many slaves drowned their own deaths, but those who didn’t were flogged. The slaves were bound to get sick. Many died of sickness. Sick slaves have been thrown out to sea in some instances so as not to make other slaves sick. Sickness caused people to refuse food and lose appetite. The sailors would punish the slaves if they didn’t eat. Some slaves tried to starve to death.
Slavery was punished by cutting, whipping, and flogging slaves. The slaves were not taken care of and would have died if they had been. But the aim was to sell the slaves, and a dead slave would reduce their profits. Slave were terrified and feared sailors. The slaves’ suffering seemed to never end, but it would soon be over. Finally, the ship arrived on Barbados. Slavery was no longer a source of fear, death or sadness for the slaves. It was a joy for them to finally leave the ship, breathe fresh oxygen and be free from sickness. It was a relief to finally be free. Merchants and Planters boarded boats to examine slaves, to determine if they could work. Then they told them to move onto the land. They began to fear again that they might be eaten. After that, slaves went back to the deck, where they experienced all the horrors of being below deck. Slave were packed again for the journey to land. The architecture at Barbados was different than what the Africans used to build houses. Instead of using wood, bricks were used instead. Slaves believed whites could ride horses by performing magic. Slavery auctions and other horrors followed soon after. They would no longer have to endure being on an overcrowded, disgusting ship full of slaves. Instead, they would be separated from their friends and families.
It was a very sad experience for the slaves to never see their masters again. They were monsters to the slaves, as would be anyone who was separated from family and friends and forced to work hard and live a miserable life without pay. They were happier than on a boat, but no one knew where they lived or if they still survived. The slaves’ long and dreadful voyage was over, but they now faced a new life of misery. Money was valued more than people. Especially if the slaves were only considered as property.
Slavery was horrific for slaves. They were dehumanized completely and exposed to illness. Slaves were bundled together in fear and had no idea that they would be harmed. After arriving on land, slaves thought they had arrived in paradise. But soon the horrors of separation from loved ones returned. Slave life was a sad one for slaves. Middle Passage – a terrible experience.
