Question

Which explanation best describes why the transatlantic journey of the Middle Passage took longer than the expected time in some instances? A. The ships ran out of food. B. The ships were at the mercy of the weather. C. The slaves rebelled against their European captors. D. The crew was inefficient.

Answer 1

B. The ships were at the mercy of the weather.

Answer 2

The main reason why the transatlantic journey of the Middle Passage took longer than the expected time in some instances was because the ships were at the mercy of the weather. The Journeys usually took between six to eight weeks, but they could be way longer if they face bad weather. At that time sailors didn’t have the technology to predict weather forecasts, so it was very difficult for them to escape from storms and hurricanes when they showed up.