General Conditions

When slave ships crossed the Atlantic it generally took 60 to 90 days, however depending on the weather, it could take longer. When the slaves were on these ships they were treated horrifically, like animals. They were often packed into spaces that left them little room to move. They often had to lay in a spoon like fashion pressed up to the people beside them. They were forced to lay so close that often times they would lay in each other's feces, urine, and sometimes blood and they were often nude. This constant closeness made diseases like smallpox and yellow fever spread rampantly.

The stench aboard the ships was normally horrible. The decks of the ships that held the slaves often had very little airflow and was incredibly hot, often making the stench unbearable. The men were shackled together by the wrist and ankle, and the women were often sexually abused. Aboard a ship that was captained by John Newton, one of the men seduced a slave woman who was visibly pregnant, to the lower deck and took advantage of her with brute like force. If slaves misbehaved they would be punished with iron muzzles and whips.