Commerce and Trade

A slave's journey along the Middle Passage of the triangular trade was extremely cruel and unpleasant. The picture below depicts the confining manner in which slaves were transported on a ship as part of the Atlantic slave trade. Consider how these individuals might have felt along this journey. Many of them had been captured or kidnapped and did not know where they were going, how long their journey would be, or if they would ever see their family and friends again.

In 1789, a former slave, Olaudah Equiano, wrote an autobiography about his experiences as a slave. Visit the International Slavery Museum's website to read a first-hand account of his journey from Africa to the Americas.

A diagram of a slave ship from the Atlantic slave trade.