Question

2.) What are THREE factors do you think might make a mortality rate higher or lower on a voyage?

Answer 1

The THREE factors that might make mortality rate higher or lower on a voyage include:


1. Proper Spaces for Sanitation/Bathing: The voyages could last anywhere from 1-5 months and diseases was responsible for 70% of the deaths.
There were no facilities for sanitation or bathing which only caused things to turn miserable.

2. Proper Ventilation: The boats rarely had windows for ventilation. This was deadly for children and the old. It also contributed to suffocation and the spread of disease.

3. Lack of Nutrition: The Slaves were hardly fed during the course of the voyage. Left overs and old and rotten food were the sole sources of nutrition for these people which further contributed towards increasing their mortality.