Read the logbook excerpt from the 1765 voyage of the Rhode Island slave ship *Sally* and answer the question below.
"August 24, 1765: ... [The captives] rose on us ... [we] were obliged to fire on them, which destroyed 8 and wounded several more, and one drowned himself."
Which of the following arguments about the Middle Passage is best supported by this excerpt?
- Captive Africans actively asserted their agency by organizing collective, violent rebellions against their captors, demonstrating that resistance was a persistent feature of the Middle Passage.Cevap
- BCaptives on slave ships generally remained passive because the extreme confinement and high mortality rates from disease prevented them from organizing collective action.
- CThe rebellion aboard the *Sally* directly inspired mainland conspiracies such as the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina.
- DViolent insurrections were the only viable method of resistance available to captive Africans during the Middle Passage, as covert actions were impossible under shipboard conditions.
Cevap
Captive Africans actively asserted their agency by organizing collective, violent rebellions against their captors, demonstrating that resistance was a persistent feature of the Middle Passage.
The correct answer is supported by the logbook entry, which describes a coordinated revolt ('rose on us') by the captives. This provides clear evidence of active agency and collective resistance against enslavement, directly challenging historical narratives that depict enslaved Africans as passive victims of the Middle Passage.
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Anahtar Kavram
Agency and resistance of captive Africans during the Middle Passage, including shipboard rebellions.