Read the excerpt from the 1790 testimony of Dr. Thomas Trotter, a ship surgeon on the slave ship *Brookes*, before the British House of Commons, and answer the question below.
"They had a song which they sung, which was a lamentation for the loss of their country and friends... The general subject was their prospect of returning to their home after death... Many of them refused sustenance, and when we forced them to eat, they would spit it out in our faces, indicating that they preferred death to bondage."
Which of the following historical conclusions is best supported by Dr. Trotter’s testimony regarding the Middle Passage?
- Captive Africans utilized both physical and cultural methods, such as hunger strikes and communal singing, to actively assert their agency and reject enslavement during the Middle Passage.Cevap
- BShipboard resistance was rare and insurrections were virtually non-existent due to the overwhelming physical control maintained by the crew.
- CCollective resistance on slave ships was prevented by the cultural and linguistic diversity of the captives, making unified actions impossible.
- DDefiant acts such as refusing food were primarily individual, spontaneous reactions to illness rather than deliberate, organized resistance.
Cevap
Captive Africans utilized both physical and cultural methods, such as hunger strikes and communal singing, to actively assert their agency and reject enslavement during the Middle Passage.
The correct answer is supported by the excerpt, which details how captives actively refused sustenance—even under the threat of force—and sang songs expressing a shared belief in returning home after death. These actions represent clear physical and cultural strategies of resistance, illustrating that enslaved Africans maintained agency and actively opposed their enslavement rather than being passive victims.
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Shipboard Rebellions and Middle Passage Resistance
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