Name: ________________________________ Date: ___________________

Surviving the Middle Passage

For the slaves, the Middle Passage was a nightmare. They were allowed little exercise. Pairs of men were chained together at the ankle and wrist, without room to sit up or to stand, and often men, women, and children were packed so closely together that they could barely move. Many were covered with sores from lying on the rough floorboards. The smell and the heat were unbearable, and the ships were full of rats. Sharks followed the ships, feeding on the dead who were thrown overboard.

Some slaves tried to kill themselves by refusing to eat or by jumping off the ship. However, losing slaves meant losing money, so the ships’ captains needed to keep the slaves alive. They used brutal methods to force slaves to eat, and when slaves jumped overboard, the ships’ crews went after them in rowboats. Slaves who were caught were often whipped.

Some slaves rebelled by attacking their crew with crude weapons they found or made, but the captors had guns and sometimes got help from the crews of other slave ships nearby. Once in a while, the slaves did win, but most slave revolts failed.

Some slaves tried to maintain enough of their strength to survive the journey, but many became too sick to resist their captors. If an enslaved African became ill, the crew might throw him or her overboard to keep the rest of the ship’s slaves from catching the illness. One slave recounted that he was relieved when he found out that he was going to the Americas to work. He had feared that his captors would eat him! Conditions for slaves in the New World were not easy, however. List three ways in which enslaved Africans actually responded to the Middle Passage:

• They tried to jump overboard • They tried to starve themselves • They tried to attack the crew with weapons • They tried to maintain their strength and stay healthy to survive

the journey to America    

   

 This diagram shows: A floor plan of a slave ship. It shows the crowded conditions of the ships and that ship owners tried to pack as many people onto the ship as possible.                                

 Life as a Slave

The life of a slave was difficult in the colonies. Slaves coped (dealt) with their harsh lives in different ways.

Some slaves attempted to escape. Runaways usually hid in nearby woods or swamps and some tried to make their way to freedom. Sometimes, they banded together. In 1739, a group of about 60 runaway slaves in South Carolina seized (took control of) guns from a store and started on a march to freedom, killing any whites who tried to stop them. But a larger force of white owners caught up with them and, in the battle that followed, killed about half of the runaways. Most slaves who ran away were eventually caught and often punished by their owners.

Slaves resisted their new lives in other ways, too. One way was to pretend not to understand what they were being told to do. Another way was to pretend to be too sick or too hurt to work. Slaves sometimes broke tools or set buildings on fire. When they died, many slaves believed that their spirits would return to West Africa.

Other slaves chose to work hard and do what they were told to avoid punishment or win their masters’ favor. They hoped that their owners would make them house servants or skilled workers. In an owner’s home, slaves had a somewhat easier life. They worked as cooks, gardeners, coachmen, and personal servants. They ate the leftovers from the master’s table and wore better clothing than other slaves. Some slaves were taught skills like carpentry and blacksmithing. They might earn wages for extra work done on Sundays and holidays. Some hoped to save enough money to buy their freedom, but very few slaves accomplished this goal.  True or False?

___F____ A large number of slaves saved enough money to buy their freedom.

___T____ Most slave rebellions were unsuccessful.

___T____ Some slaves believed that when they died, their spirits would return to West Africa.

___F____ Slaves working in the field had it easier than slaves working in the home.