The Middle Passage was a triangular trade route in which\u00a0millions of Africans were shipped to other countries,\u00a0including the New World, as part of the Atlantic slave\u00a0trade. Ships departed from Europe with manufactured\u00a0goods that were offered in exchange for slaves in Africa,\u00a0which were then sold to others for raw materials during\u00a0return trips back to Europe. This massive system was\u00a0operated, and regulated, by a relatively small number of\u00a0companies and groups of investors. There was no concern\u00a0for human lives, only the money-making ventures that\u00a0were quick and vastly profitable.<\/p>\n
The conditions on those ships were horrible and the crews\u00a0on board had complete authority over the slaves who were\u00a0chained and barely fed. It is estimated that about two\u00a0million Africans died during transportation. As Africans\u00a0were forced into this horrifying situation, many of whom\u00a0ended up in the Americas, their cultural and social practices\u00a0traveled with them and were preserved through the vital\u00a0art of expression. They began to interweave patterns of\u00a0their native languages with the new English language when\u00a0presenting their traditional stories. In this case, the stories\u00a0not only preserved elements of the cultural heritage of their\u00a0homelands, but also acted as a means to soothe and heal\u00a0their minds during times of misfortune.<\/p>\n
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