Captured and Taken from Home

Beginning in the 1500s, millions of Africans were taken from their homes and sold into slavery as part of the transatlantic slave trade. European traders worked with some African leaders to capture and transport people to the Americas. Families and communities were torn apart. Most people were captured inland and forced to walk to the coast, where they were held in crowded forts before being put on ships.The Middle Passage

The journey across the Atlantic Ocean, known as the Middle Passage, was one of the most horrific parts of slavery. Enslaved Africans were packed tightly into ships—sometimes chained together in rows with barely any space to move. The air below deck was hot, dirty, and filled with disease. People were often given little food or water, and many became sick or died during the journey. It is estimated that at least 1 in 7 people died on the voyage across the ocean.

Despite these terrible conditions, many people tried to resist. Some refused to eat. Others tried to jump overboard. Many held onto hope, memory, and belief during the brutal journey.

Life in the Americas

       

Those who survived the Middle Passage were sold at auctions and forced to work on plantations, farms, or in households. In the Americas, enslaved Africans faced long hours, harsh punishments, and no personal freedom. They were often separated from family members and denied the right to learn, travel, or make decisions about their lives.

In many places, slavery became the foundation of the economy. In the Caribbean and the American South, enslaved people worked on sugar, cotton, and tobacco plantations that created huge profits for European colonizers. Their labor was essential to the growth of colonial economies, yet they were treated as property.

Resistance and Culture

Even under brutal conditions, enslaved Africans found ways to resist oppression. Some slowed their work, broke tools, or escaped. Others resisted by building new cultural traditions. They kept African languages, stories, music, and spiritual beliefs alive—and blended them with new influences in the Americas.

       

These traditions helped people survive and stay connected to their identity. Over time, African American culture grew from these roots, shaping music, food, religion, and family life in powerful ways that continue today.

A Lasting Legacy

The transatlantic slave trade caused deep suffering and loss in African societies—population decline, increased warfare, and broken communities. In the Americas, it created a racial system that denied basic rights to millions and left lasting inequalities. Yet, despite these injustices, enslaved Africans showed courage, creativity, and strength that left a permanent mark on history.

Source: The Middle Passage and the Life of Enslaved Africans
Exploros, Inc.