middle passage
nounEtymology middle + passage
1
Obsolete A middle way, especially between two extremes; an intermediate path in space or time.
2
Capitalized, Historical, Often Specifically, the middle part of the sea voyage by which slaves were transported from Africa to America.
- The city once laid claim to the largest fleet of slave ships in the history of the trade as its merchants overtook Bristol and London in dominating the Middle Passage.2007 August 23, Tristram Hunt, “A bold step away from the dead end of guilt and apology”, in The Guardian:
- Some slaves refused to eat during the Middle Passage voyage as an act of self-determination and control.2009, Herbert C. Covey, Dwight Eisnach, What the Slaves Ate, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 2: