“Its horrors, ah! who can describe? None can so truly depict its horrors as the poor unfortunate, miserable wretch that has been confined within its portals.”[1] So begins Mahommah G. Baquaqua’s description of a slaving vessel after being enslaved in the African region of Benin. Baqauqau’s account is one of countless millions of the journey through the Middle Passage, butone of the few available today.
In the interior of the great continent of Africa, there were several ways an African would be enslaved: 1) the result of war, 2) as punishment for crimes, however minor, 3) by kidnapping, 4) or because of poverty.[2] Not all of the wars were just, but rather, some African monarchs would go to war with the specific intention of capturing other Africans to sell to European merchants. Regardless of the way in which slaves were obtained, they would soon be taken to interior markets.[3] This first exchange would result in the African being tied up, sometimes to another or two Africans. Their arms would be tied behind their backs by twigs, canes and grass rope.[4] The currency used to purchase Africans varied, but acceptable forms included anchors, brandy, gunpowder, guns, iron bars, cloths, gold and alcohol.[5]
African slaves were subsequently transported from interior markets to harbor markets on the coast of Africa. The slaves would be marched in groups of about 100, chained together, for 60-80 days. Covering about 20 miles a day, the slaves would spend 7-8 hours each day on the march.[6] During this march, slaves could also be required to transport goods. Once at a harbor market, Africans would undergo examinations and be subjected to seasoning and branding. The usual time spent waiting to be shipped was 5 months. The shorter time spent waiting to be shipped correlates to a higher survival rate.[7] Thus, the quicker slaves could be shipped the more money there was to be made.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, ships did not hold up to the Atlantic passage very long. European vessels in 1780 only lasted about ten years at an average of six trips to Africa.[8] The crews were made up mostly of young men in their 20s who obeyed the captains as if engaged in battle (306-307). To European traders, their human cargo was no different than any other cargo. As such, the conditions on board European ships were unimaginable. Generally, slaves were put on the ships nude or nearly nude. Baquaqua claims he and the other captives were “thrust into the hold of the vessel in a state of nudity.”[9] European slavers were in the business of making money, not making Africans comfortable during Maafa. Because of greed, as many slaves as would fit on the ship would be crammed together. On a journey that usually lasted at least 30 days, the slaves would spend most of their time in the holds.[10]Obviously there were no facilities, but if the slaves were lucky there would be bilge places cut into the ship for relief of bodily functions. I am sure many of the Africans were unused to traveling in any type of boat, much less on the Atlantic Ocean. Sea-sickness would have plagued the Africans in great numbers. In addition, it was common that disease would rampage the passengers, Africans and crew alike. Many slaves did not survive the voyage. Of course, the European slavers would have to dispose of the bodies of those who did not survive the Middle Passage. As with other refuse, the bodies would have been thrown overboard and not thought of again.
Weather played an important factor when crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic hurricane season rages from August to September. It would have been a gamble to make the Middle Passage during these summer months. The first three months of the year, January through March, were the calmest for sailing down the West African coast, or crossing the Atlantic Ocean.[11]
For me, an especially sad occurrence in The Slave Trade was the description of a baby being born during the Middle Passage. Unfortunately, the mother did not survive the birth of the child. The crew of that particular ship gave the baby to other slaves, but the infant was not received because the Africans believed the illness to be infectious. The baby was then left in the sun and “in the agonies of death.”[12] Being a mother myself, it is not possible to image such cruelty and sadism to a newborn baby. I have no doubt that this was a mild situation compared to the horrendous sufferings of others.
Those Africans, who survived the initial captivity and holding, had to make the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. The Middle Passage itself would then claim the lives of countless African slaves. Once “safe” on the other side of The Middle Passage, African slaves would be put through a seasoning process. In addition to quarantine, now the slaves would learn how to behave. It was common for an experienced slave to show the new arrivals appropriate behavior.
I consider the Middle Passage to be one of man kind’s darkest days, comparable to the European Holocaust in the 20thcentury. The cruelty European traders carried out is unbelievable. Even more, the cruelty African slaves endured is even more unbelievable. Regrettably, the journey for African-American slaves was only beginning.
I really enjoyed reading Baquaqua's narrative, from his life in Africa before caputre, his passage to Brazil, and his eventual freedom in the United States. It's incredible to me that so much of this part of history is silent, and his tale offers great insight into this period.
[2] Hugh Thomas, The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade: 1440-1870, (New York: Simon and Schuster), p. 370-371.
[3] Ibid., 381.
[4] Ibid., 363.
[5] Ibid., 318-319.
[6] Ibid., 383-384.
[7] Ibid., 406.
[8] Ibid., 305
[9] Mahommah G. Baquaqua, Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua, a Native of Zoogoo, in the Interior of Africa, 1st ed. (Academic Affairs Library, UNC-CH, 2001; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Apex Data Services, Inc., 2001), 42.
[10] Hugh Thomas, The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade: 1440-1870, (New York: Simon and Schuster), p. 411.
[11] Ibid., 393.
[12] Ibid., 418.
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