The Middle Passage took the enslaved Africans away from their homeland. They were from different countries and different ethnic (or cultural) groups. They spoke different languages. Many had never seen the sea before, let alone been on a ship. They had no knowledge of where they were going or what awaited them there. The slaves were packed below the decks of the ship. The men were usually shackled together in pairs using leg irons, or shackles. Some leg irons are pictured here. The men were considered dangerous, as they were mostly young and strong and likely to turn on their captors if the opportunity arose. People were packed so close that they could not get to the toilet buckets, and so lay in their own filth. Seasickness, heat and lack of air all contributed to the terrible smell. These conditions also encouraged disease, particularly fever and the ‘bloody flux’ or gastroenteritis (a serious stomach bug). The voyage usually took six to eight weeks, but bad weather could increase this to 13 weeks or more.
