slavery occurred in three major stages
For over three and a half centuries, both European and American slavers apprehended and carried African captives across the Atlantic Ocean. The slavers mainly used ships that originated from ports owned by major European maritime spots such as Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, and the Netherlands. The main aim of this activity was to sell the slaves to work on farms in North America. This means that slavery occurred in three major stages; the capture, middle passage, and being auctioned in the market.
The first stage of slavery involved captivity that occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. The detention of African slaved in the transatlantic trade three significant ways. Firstly, village offenders were captured and sold by chiefs as a form of punishment. This included petty offenders and hardcore village criminals. Secondly, free Africans were also arrested during raids by both European and native gangs. Lastly, the already captured domestic slaves and prisoners of war were resold to American and European merchants. After being captured, they were marched to the Atlantic coasts waiting for the buyers to arrive with their vessels. During the march, slaves were bound together in twos or threes or long lines of up to 35 individuals.
The second stage was the middle passage. This stage was the crossing from the Atlantic coast on the African continent to the Americas. It involved the use of specially made water vessels that could carry as many slaves as possible. The middle passage was so-called because it was the middle section of the slave trade route taken by many of the water vessels.
The primary purpose of this stage was to take the enslaved Africans away from their motherland. Most of the slaves were from different regions and ethnic groups. They also spoke different dialects. Many had never been on a voyage across the ocean. This means that they had no knowledge of where they were being taken or what awaited them upon arrival to their destination. In the ships, the slaves were crowded below the decks. The men were considered dangerous and were shacked together in pairs using hand and leg cuffs. This prevented them from turning to their captors whenever an opportunity arose. They were also packed so close together that they could lay on their filth. This could lead to a lack of adequate air, high temperatures, and sickness.