Phillips, at the age of 29 years and on his second voyage, became
the captain of the infamous slave ship
How did Thomas Phillips background influence what he wrote about the Middle Passage?
His background might have influenced what he wrote about the Middle Passage because
he witnessed the terrible conditions the slaves were living in and the misery they endured
.
Who was part of the Middle Passage?
From about 1518 to the mid-19th century,
millions of African men, women, and children
made the 21-to-90-day voyage aboard grossly overcrowded sailing ships manned by crews mostly from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and France.
Who described the horrors of the Middle Passage?
Branded and chained together, they endured conditions of squalor, and disease and starvation claimed many lives.
Olaudah Equiano
, a former slave, described the horrors of the middle passage in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, published in 1789.
Who sold slaves to the Royal African Company?
It was led by
the Duke of York
, who was the brother of Charles II and later took the throne as James II. It shipped more African slaves to the Americas than any other company in the history of the Atlantic slave trade. It was established after Charles II gained the English throne in the Restoration of 1660.
Where does the name Middle Passage come from?
The captives were about to embark on the infamous Middle Passage, so called because it was the
middle leg of a three-part voyage —
a voyage that began and ended in Europe.
Who was Dr Falconbridge?
Alexander Falconbridge was
a ship’s surgeon from Bristol and a friend of John Newton
. He made four crossings to the Americas in a slave ship before quitting the trade on principle. He was discovered by Thomas Clarkson who realised he would make an excellent witness.
Do sharks follow ships?
More came from Captain Hugh Crow, who made ten slaving voyages and wrote from personal observation that
sharks “have been known to follow vessels across the ocean
, that they might devour the bodies of the dead when thrown overboard.”
Where did most of the slaves from Africa go?
The majority of enslaved Africans went to
Brazil
, followed by the Caribbean. A significant number of enslaved Africans arrived in the American colonies by way of the Caribbean, where they were “seasoned” and mentored into slave life.
Who first started slavery in Africa?
The transatlantic slave trade began during the 15th century when
Portugal
, and subsequently other European kingdoms, were finally able to expand overseas and reach Africa. The Portuguese first began to kidnap people from the west coast of Africa and to take those they enslaved back to Europe.
What was Equiano’s main duty on board the ship?
There, he would have spent much of his time as a personal servant to Pascal, but in battle his part was that of gunpowder carrier, or ‘powder-monkey’ as he would have been known on board ship. His job was
to carry gunpowder from the magazine up to the gun decks
.
How long did the Middle Passage took?
The Middle Passage itself lasted
roughly 80 days
, on ships ranging from small schooners to massive, purpose-built “slave ships.” Humans were packed together on or below decks without space to sit up or move around.
What are three effects of slavery in Africa?
The effect of slavery in Africa
Some states, such as Asante and Dahomey,
grew powerful and wealthy as a result
. Other states were completely destroyed and their populations decimated as they were absorbed by rivals. Millions of Africans were forcibly removed from their homes, and towns and villages were depopulated.
How many slaves did the Royal African Company transport?
Approximately 1.5 million enslaved people
– about half those taken by the British from Africa – were carried in ships from Liverpool. London was also one of the main trading centres (particularly in earlier years of the slave trade) because of the transport links provided by the River Thames and the London docks.
Did slaves build Windsor Castle?
| History | Great Britain | Builder Whitby | Launched 1783 | Captured Foundered 1803 |
|---|
Which British families benefited from slavery?
Among those revealed to have benefited from slavery are ancestors of the Prime Minister,
David Cameron
, former minister Douglas Hogg, authors Graham Greene and George Orwell, poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and the new chairman of the Arts Council, Peter Bazalgette.
