What Does Middle Passage Mean?

The Middle Passage was the route which was used to transport slaves from Africa during the days of the Atlantic slave trade. These slaves were brought in ships, where they were ill-treated and made to live and work in harsh conditions, and sold in markets in the Americas, namely the continents of North America and South America and on the Caribbean islands, which are collectively called the West Indies.

It was called the Middle Passage because the slave trade was a form of triangular, or three-way, trade. The ships left Europe and set sail for the markets in African countries, then sailed to Africa where the goods were sold or trade for people in the slave markets of Africa. These ships then proceeded to the Americas and the West Indies. Here the African slaves were sold or traded for goods for sale in the markets in the European countries. The ships then returned to Europe.

During the 17th and 18th century, the demand for slaves was at its peak. European slave traders quickly provided the labor needed. The potential of earning a small fortune in the slave trading business was enough of a profit for traders to put aside the fact that Africans were human beings. In 1760, in some markets, a trader could sell a male slave for 50 pounds, which was enough to live comfortably for one year. With the promise of making a more than a decent living from the slave trade, it became a profitable career.