- The forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, the “middle” leg of the trade system .

The forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World is commonly referred to as the "Middle Passage." This was the second leg of the triangular trade system that linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

During the Middle Passage, enslaved Africans were transported under horrific conditions in cramped and unsanitary ships. Many did not survive the journey due to disease, malnutrition, and the brutal treatment they received from their captors. It is estimated that millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homelands and subjected to this inhumane journey.

Once they arrived in the Americas, enslaved Africans were sold at auction and forced to work on plantations, in mines, or in households, contributing significantly to the economies of the colonies, particularly in the production of cash crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton. The legacy of the Middle Passage and the transatlantic slave trade has had profound and lasting impacts on societies and cultures around the world.