The origin of the Transatlantic Slave Trade began with Prince Henrique, also know as “The Navigator.” Henrique was the first European to directly trade slaves without going through the Moors of Africa but always ran into a problem with them(Burnside 19). Prince Henrique was determined to find a way around the Moors because their prices were exorbitant and he longed to explore th

No matter how cruel the beatings were, the enslaved Africans wanted their freedom and did almost anything for it. Mutinies were not uncommon on slave ships; in fact, the Africans continuously caused uprisings against the captain and the crew of the ship no matter how severe the beatings were. Although a language barrier lied between the slaves, they would unremittingly communicate to each to plot escapes (Burnside 125). Joseph Cinque led the most memorable mutiny in 1839. Cinque and the other rebels killed the captain and took over the slaver Amistad. Eventually, they were captured and tried for murder and piracy on the high seas. However, in the end they were acquitted of all charges (). The mutinies would cease once the ship was not insight of led.

On ships, such as the infamous Brooks, the slaves were packed like cargo. They were branded with hot iron, shackled together in pairs, and thrown at the bottom of the ship packed on top of each other leaving no room to twist, turn, or defecate. As a result, the environment for traveling thousand of miles was horrid. The air was always stale and damp, it was hot all the time, and dehydration was common because of the lack of water. Many slaves tried to commit suicide by starving him or herself or jumping overboard. The crew usually recovered those who jumped and starvation was not permitted. If a slave was caught not eating, the Europeans would lashed him until he decided to eat, or burn their lips with hot coal, or pure molten lead on their skin, or forced their jaws open and shoved food down their throat (Burnside 122).

Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. The Heritage of World Civilizations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.

Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield: Merriam

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