Slaves' treatment was horrific because the captured African men and women were considered less than human; they were "cargo", or "goods", and treated as such; they were transported for marketing.
Some of the conditions during the African’s transportation to the new world were:
• Overcrowding combined with malnutrition and disease in the ships.
• Lack of drinking water. The crew sometimes decided to drown some slaves at sea, to conserve water and allow the owners to collect insurance for lost cargo.
• Slaves sometimes decided to kill themselves by jumping into the water willingly.
• Slave punishment and torture was very common, as on the voyage the crew had to turn independent people into obedient slaves.
• Slaves were punished with Whipping and use of the cat o' nine tails were a common occurrence; sometimes slaves were beaten for "melancholy".
• Pregnant women on the ships who delivered their babies aboard risked the chance of their children being killed in order for the mothers to be sold.
• As a way to counteract disease and suicide attempts, the crew would force the slaves onto the deck of the ship for exercise, usually resulting in beatings because the slaves would be unwilling to dance for them or interact. These beatings would often be severe and could result in the slave dying or becoming more susceptible to diseases.
