
The historical view of the Middle Passage was the recounting of Europeans enslaving 12.4 million Africans and transported to various countries in the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. Further details of the atrocity were shrouded in mystery due to the collective knowledge and cultural history of those captured being wiped away. However, through records, personal documents and past diagrams, historians were able to unpack the multitude of factors that contributed to the experience of the Middle Passage:
- The involvement of European traders, former slaves and staff members
- Conditions of ships during the time period
- How epidemic of diseases, mainly the white flux and smallpox rooted from said conditions
- Improvements made during the Middle Passage
I will discuss these in turn, and encapsulate the experiences of the Middle Passage through these lenses.
The Involvement of European traders, African slaves, and staff members
To begin with, the apparent power imbalance between the European traders and African slaves has been one of the contributions towards the dehumanizing experience.
“The men negroes, on being brought aboard the ship, are immediately fastened together, two and two, by handcuffs on their wrists, and by irons riveted on their legs…If negroes refused to take sustenance, I have seen coals of fire, glowing hot, put on a shovel ,and placed so near their lips, as to scorch and burn them.” -Doctor Alexander Falconbridge
The source collaborates with the autobiography of former slave, Olaudah Equiano.
“Two of the white men offered me food; and, on my refusing to eat, one of them held me fast by the hands, and laid me across I think the windlass, and tied my feet, while the other flogged me severely.”
Not only were both accounts published in similar periods (1788 and 1789 respectively), but they illustrate the deprived treatment of human dignity and the abuse of violence towards African slaves. The duo’s accounts could be trusted as both possess backgrounds that revolved around spending time with captives so that they would witness the most extreme of acts. However, the pair are active activists during the slave abolition movement, which could result in exaggerated circumstances. Therefore, the master-slave dynamic between European traders and African slaves is one of the factors that contributed to the atrocious experience.
Conditions of ships during the period
Secondly, captives and crew mates suffered from the oppressive heat, lack of sanitation, extreme thirst, and suffocating conditions.
“Crossing the Atlantic was extremely difficult for slaves. First, there was not enough room in the boats. They suffered from heat, thirst, and a lack of hygiene. Even the whites had difficulty with these things.” -High School Portuguese Textbook, 1994
It was further proven by an extract of “An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa” in 1788.
“The hardships and inconveniences suffered by the negroes during the Passage are hard to describe…The exclusion of fresh air is among the least tolerable.”
Likewise, both documents corroborate on how the poorly kept conditions hindered both parties.
Nonetheless, the two differ in the published periods and their purpose. One serves as a high school textbook from a country that had committed the crime, and the other to promote the anti-slave movement. As a result, the unregulated conditions of the ship have caused captives and crew mates to endure suffering.
How the epidemic of diseases, mainly the white flux and smallpox rooted from said conditions
Thirdly, an epidemic of diseases arises from said conditions that affected both the prisoners and the crew.
“The distemper which my men, as well as the blacks, mostly died of was the white flux…The Negroes are so vulnerable to the smallpox that few ships that carry them escape without it, and sometimes it makes vast havoc and destruction among them.” -Slave Ship Captain Thomas Phillips, “A Collection of Voyages and Travels”
Alexander Falconbridge also remarked about the white flux.
“The floor of their rooms was so covered with blood and mucus because of the flux, that it resembled a slaughter-house.”
Comparatively, both documents recount the dire situation that diseases caused to the African slaves. Moreover, since Thomas Phillips wrote the excerpt in his diary, there would be no reason to conceal his thoughts.
Nevertheless, the documents differ due to one explaining the consequences of the captives’ death, and the other explaining the cause from said conditions. Furthermore, Captain Thomas Phillips’ background as a slave transporter might cause him to justify his actions and downplay the slaves, in saving his conscience from guilt. For that reason, the flux and smallpox arose due to said conditions detriment both parties.
Improvements made during the Middle Passage
Lastly, although slave ships have undergone several transformations, the conditions have not improved much. The diagram of “Stowage of the slave ship ‘Brookes’ under the Regulated Slave Trade Act of 1788” depicts how many slaves could be placed on this ship. With 6’ by 1’4” allowed for each man, 5’10” by 1’4” allowed for each woman, and 5’ 1’2” allowed for each boy, the ship could hold 454 slaves instead of the original 609.
However, it still resulted in cramped space and lack of movement provided for the captives. It corroborates with Captain Thomas Philips’ account due to occurring in the 1780s, providing a background reference to his description. Through diagrams, in theory, it could not be applicable in every solution and only have an insight on where the slaves were held and not the crew-mates.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the involvement of European traders, former slaves and staff members, conditions of how the ships were kept, the epidemic of diseases that arise from said conditions, and improvements made during the Middle Passage contributed to the experience of everybody who participated in it.

