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Abstract
Our narrative focuses on the middle passage of the slave trade in the West Indies. Herein we describe why more men, women, and children were imported into the West Indies than the other islands. Specifically, our aim was to address how slaves in the middle passage of the triangular slave trade were treated, how they sustained themselves, and how they instigated wars and used other means of disobedience to facilitate the abolishment of slavery. Moreover, we examined the impact of laws that were instituted and enforced by slave owners to govern the lives of slaves. Several disturbing acts imposed upon slaves by their masters included: physical abuse, disrespect for slave family life, unhealthy living conditions, and poor diet. Additionally, contributions of Whites who fought against slavery are included.
Introduction
Slave trading between Europeans and Africans began in the early 160Os. Curtin (1969) proposed two theories for this trading in his discussion of the capture and sale of Africans in his book about the Atlantic slave trade. One was that slave-raiding of African communities "became an economic activity [that was] consciously pursued for the sake of the European imports that could be bought with slaves, and slaves alone" (p. 271). The other was, "that African societies, like those of other people in other places, settled disputes by military means. Warfare produces prisoners-of-war, who can be killed, enslaved, or exchanged" (p. 272). Further, Sundiata (2000) concluded in his discussion of capitalism and slavery that; "a coerced ... labourer who never returned home probably viewed himself or herself as a slave" (p. 132).
Many African citizens were taken from their homes and were never returned. They were sold and became slaves in an expanding European empire. Many of the sales had the full cooperation of African kings and merchants who in return for these citizens received various trade goods. Trade between the Europeans and Africans created the first route of the triangular slave trade. Europeans brought to Africa such goods as copper, manufactured cloth, silks, glassware, ammunition, guns, and pots to trade; in return they received enslaved men, women, children, and other goods. In his study of the history of slaves Lovejoy (2000) reported that 4,179,500 slaves from West Central (a little over 40% of the...