The Slave Trade U4LB

Which phrase accurately describes the conditions aboard the slave ship?

Why did so many people die on the Middle Passage?

Some slaves decided to jump overboard and drowned instead of remaining on the slave ship.

[T]wo of my wearied countrymen who were chained together . . . preferring death to such a life of misery . . . jumped into the sea; . . . I believe many more would very soon have done the same, if they had not been prevented by the ship's crew. . . . However, two of the wretches were drowned, but they got the other, and afterwards flogged him unmercifully, for thus attempting to prefer death to slavery.

Which of these statements contains evidence from the passage that could be used to support the claim that conditions on slave ships were inhumane? Select all that apply

Which of these statements would be supported by a country practicing mercantilism? Select all that apply.

Background information: Olaudah Equiano was enslaved in Africa but eventually gained his freedom in the United States. These passages are excerpts from his autobiography, published in 1789. 

What is the “greeting” that Equiano receives when he first steps below the decks of the ship?

What happens when Equiano refuses to eat?

Look closely at the phrase, “I now wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me.” What is Equiano referring to?

What causes the sickness among the enslaved people that Equiano describes in this passage?

Background information: These are journal entries from John Newton, a trader of enslaved persons. They were written in 1754.

What happens to the enslaved person who jumps overboard on June 27?

Which of these claims is supported by evidence in both passages?