The following is an excerpt from a 1753 British newspaper report concerning an uprising on the slave ship *Marlborough*:
"We have a report of a successful rising of the slaves on board the *Marlborough* of Bristol... The captives, having found means to get their irons off, rose upon the crew, killed the captain and several men, and took possession of the vessel, which they forced the remaining hands to steer back to Africa, where they got landing, and dispersed themselves into the country."
Based on the excerpt, which of the following best explains how the insurrection on the *Marlborough* challenges historical misconceptions about the Middle Passage?
- It demonstrates that enslaved people actively exerted political and physical agency by planning coordinated mutinies and utilizing the crew's navigation skills to return to Africa.Answer
- BIt suggests that captives were generally submissive during the voyage and only engaged in isolated, non-violent acts of spiritual endurance.
- CIt shows that early eighteenth-century shipboard revolts immediately forced European powers to dismantle and outlaw the transatlantic slave trade.
- DIt highlights how enslaved Africans primarily relied on covert everyday resistance, such as breaking tools and slowing down labor, to force the ship back to shore.
Answer
It demonstrates that enslaved people actively exerted political and physical agency by planning coordinated mutinies and utilizing the crew's navigation skills to return to Africa.
The correct answer is correct because the description of captives freeing themselves, executing a coordinated attack, and leveraging the crew's maritime knowledge to return to Africa directly demonstrates their active agency and strategic resistance during the Middle Passage, countering the myth of passive compliance.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Shipboard Rebellions and Middle Passage Resistance