Enslaved people were then packed onto the slave ships. Often, they were packed together as closely as possible. (The famous drawing on the right shows how closely enslaved people were packed together on some slave ships.) Enslaved men were often chained together at the ankles. Sometimes, slaves were allowed to move around during the day, but many ships kept enslaved people chained up for the entire trip.
Sailing through the Middle Passage could take anywhere from one to six months, depending on the weather. Over time, human trafficking ships got better at making the trip more quickly. In the early 16th century, the average trip took a few months. However, by the 19th century, many slave ships crossed the Middle Passage in fewer than six weeks.
Enslaved people were treated barbarically and wickedly during the Middle Passage. Slaves were not seen as human. They were thought of as "cargo" or "goods" - commodities rather than innocent people - to be bought and sold, and not respected and cared about.
Enslaved people were starved during the Middle Passage. At "best", the enslavers fed enslaved people beans, corn, yams, rice, and palm oil. However, enslaved African people were not always fed every day. If there was not enough food for the sailors (human traffickers) and the slaves, the enslavers would eat first, and the enslaved might not get any food. On some slave ships, slaves who looked sick were not given any food. Many enslaved people died from starvation and dehydration (not having enough water) during the Middle Passage.
The enslaved peoples' living conditions on the slave ships were horrific. Diseases spread very quickly because the enslaved people were so crowded together, and because there was no sanitation. The most common diseases were dysentery, scurvy, smallpox, syphilis, and measles. Many enslaved African people were killed by disease during the Middle Passage. On longer trips, even more enslaved people died, because there was less food and water (this made dysentery and scurvy more common). Also, many slaves became too depressed to eat.
Slaves were often tortured as punished if they did not follow the human traffickers' orders or if they seemed disobedient in any way. For example, enslaved people who were too depressed or sick to eat might be beaten or whipped. The worst forms of torture were for enslaved people who tried to rebel (fight back). For example, one slave ship captain punished an enslaved person who tried to rebel, by murdering him; then he forced two other slaves to eat his heart and liver.
Enslaved women and enslaved children were often raped or sexually abused by the sailors.
Many different people participated in the Middle Passage and the triangular trade.
The countries that controlled most of the slave trade were European and Asian countries that were very powerful at the time. These countries included:
Slave traders in North America, Brazil, and the Caribbean also took part in the slave trade.
Different countries were more powerful in the slave trade at different times. For example, for two hundred years, from 1440–1640, Portugal controlled most of the slave trade. However, over time, the balance of power in Europe changed. By the 18th century, the British Empire was much more powerful. During the 18th century, when 6 million Africans were brought over the Middle Passage, British slavers carried almost 2.5 million of them.
Most of the African slaves came from eight different areas:
The slave trade was very profitable for slave traders. By the late 18th century, a strong male slave could be sold for about $600 to $1500 (which is about $9,000 to $15,000 in United States dollars today). Because of this, kidnapping people in Africa and selling them into slavery became more and more popular. Historians think that African warlords, kings, and private kidnappers - Europeans, Americans, and Africans alike - all participated in kidnapping people into slavery.
Jorma Kaukonen
Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, Jr. (born December 23, 1940) is an American blues, folk and rock guitarist. He is best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked him #54 on its list of 100 Greatest Guitarists.
Kaukonen was born in Washington, D.C.. He moved to San Francisco, California in the 1960s and studied at Santa Clara University.
Jack Casady
John William "Jack" Casady (born April 13, 1944) is an American musician. He is called one of the popular bass guitarists of the rock music era. He is best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. He was born in Washington, D.C.. He became the bass player for Jefferson Airplane with lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and Paul Kantner.
Sciences Po
Sciences Po or Institut d'études politiques de Paris is a special university in France. The school is in Paris. It was created in 1872.
It is a specialist in the fields of economics, administration, social sciences and politics.
Work (Rihanna song)
"Work" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It is from her eighth studio album, "Anti". The song features Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on January 27, 2016. It was the most heard song for its first day on the over 1,200 stations monitored by Nielsen music. A few hours after its release, it was sent to digital outlets such as iTunes and Google Play Music. Rihanna announced via Twitter that "Work" was the lead single for "Anti". In June 2017, the song was certified sextuple-Platinum in the US for sales and streams equal to six million copies.
The song was nominated for Record of the Year and for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017.
The song reached number one on the iTunes charts of over 70 countries. "Work" debuted at number 9 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, which made her one of the artists with the fifth-most top-ten singles in "Billboard" history (with 27 top-ten songs), along with singer-songwriters Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, and Elton John. In addition, the song also managed to enter the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number one. "Work" reached number two in the UK, number five in Australia, and topped the charts in Canada. The song became Rihanna's 14th and Drake's second number-one single on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. Rihanna became the artist with the third-most number-one songs in Hot 100 history and the second-most for a female artist. She passed Michael Jackson's record of 13 number-ones and is behind Mariah Carey's 19 chart-toppers and The Beatles' 20 number-one songs. "Work" was the third longest-running number-one song of 2016, with nine weeks at the top of the "Billboard" Hot 100 (The Chainsmokers' "Closer" featuring Halsey has spent 12 weeks at number one, and Drake's "One Dance" has spent ten weeks at the top). The song was later replaced at number one by rapper Desiigner's first single, "Panda".
"Work" is about a relationship that has turned bad and using work as a distraction from the relationship. It is a reggae-pop and dancehall song.
The music video was released on February 22, 2016, two days after Rihanna's 28th birthday. It first appeared on the streaming service Tidal and was later uploaded to YouTube/Vevo. The first half of the video contains scenes of a club and shows Rihanna performing Caribbean dance moves with short hair. The second half is a different version of the video, which contains a couch and neon signs, while Rihanna, wearing much longer hair, sings to Drake, and is wearing a sheer shirt. Drake is present in both versions of the video.
Rover
Rover or rovers may refer to:
Slave ship