Explain the technology of a slave ship in terms of transporting African slaves. How did Europeans use technology to outfit slave ships for transporting Africans across the Atlantic to the colonies of the Americas?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ideal Answer: The ideal answer should:

1. Define that slave ships (called slavers) varied in size but grew larger over the centuries. A ship's tonnage determined how many slaves it could carry, with the formula being two slaves per ton. A ship of 200 tons might therefore carry 400 slaves.
2. Note that captains often ignored the formula and kept their human cargo light, calculating that smaller loads lowered mortality and made revolt less likely.
3. Point out that most captains were "tight packers" who squeezed human beings together hoping that large numbers would offset increased deaths.
4. Explain that the slavers' cargo space was generally only five feet high. Ships' carpenters halved this vertical space by building shelves, so slaves might be packed above and below on planks that measured only 5.5 feet long and 1.3 feet wide. Consequently, slaves had only about 20 to 25 inches of headroom.
5. Conclude that to add to the discomfort, the crews chained male slaves together in pairs to help prevent rebellion and lodged them away from women and children. Crewmen often strung nets along the sides of the ship to prevent African suicide attempts.