Middle Passage

European goods were exchanged for enslaved Africans, who were forcibly transported across the Atlantic during the Middle Passage. Survivors were sold to plantation owners and forced to produce goods such as sugar, cotton and tobacco for overseas markets.

On the second leg, ships carried enslaved Africans to the Americas. This crossing was the Middle Passage. On arrival, captives were sold to buyers, including plantation owners.

The Middle Passage carried enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas. Captives endured confinement, chains, overcrowding and disease; many died before reaching the colonies. Survivors were sold and forced to work.