Sometime between the years 1600-1800, black Africans were subjected to a grueling expedition of torment and torture. This trip was known as the "Middle Passage." It was named so, because it was the middle leg of the "Triangular Trade" route that was used by European merchants (Black Peoples of America paragraph 1). The first part of the voyage would carry cargo to the African coast, where the goods were then exchanged for Africans, The second part of the trip consisted of the Africans being traded for goods in America. The ship would then head back to Europe. While slave-trading was outlawed in most countries, it was a lucrative business, therefore often overlooked.
             Slave trade through the middle passage actually began with African captors trading African slaves. According to an about.com article, "African captors kidnapped their countrymen and brought them to slave factories on the west coast of Africa" (about.com paragraph 2). This may have began as a means to just make a living, providing food and clothing for trader. Apparently greed soon took over, and slave trading became a profitable, I dare say, "occupation."
             Slaves were often kidnapped from their village and families and carried to slave factories on the west coast of Africa. This journey alone cost many lives, as it was a long and tedious one. The slaves could then spend anywhere from days up to a year in these factories awaiting a horrible, yet unknown journey ahead of them.
             Once these people (who were not thought of as people at the time), were on the ships, they were shackled & confined to small cargo holds below deck. When they were tightly packed, there was hardly room to move. They were often forced to sit in their own urine, feces, and blood, or that of others lying next to them. Occasionally on the least tightly packed ships, slaves were allowed to go on deck for exercise. On the more tightly packed ones, the physicians may have picked a handful tha
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