Suicide In The Middle Passage

The Middle Passage has been a focal point of investigation for many historians who are dedicated to comprehending the slave trade. The literature as a whole reveal that slaves asserted autonomy over their social being by committing suicide. This act disrupted the process of transatlantic voyages as slaves surrendered the physical self to reclaim their psychological and social strength. In addition, European perception of suicide shaped the ways in which slave traders and surgeons responded to captives’ means of resistance. Self-inflicted death amongst the enslaved was brought to the attention of British Parliament via testimonies of pro-abolitionists. My final paper will explore European attitudes toward suicide, slave suicide as an act of resistance and how sacrifice of the physical self played a role in the abolition of the slave trade. …show more content…
The enslaved population was subjected to gruesome living conditions and psychological trauma onboard the transatlantic voyage. Black suffering is at the forefront of historical evidence documenting the forced migration — my heart sinks and my fingers clench as I read about the horrifying experiences of my ancestors. Slave suicide transformed Black suffering into an active form of resistance; the enslaved made the choice to take their life according to their terms rather than that of Europeans who perceived Black lives to be expendable. Pro-abolitionists equated suicide to self-destruction — this relationship was evident in the testimonies for the abolition of the slave trade. Nevertheless, Parliamentary members’ knowledge of slave suicide was not a catalyst for abolition as some presumed; it took nearly two decades for the government entity to confirm the feasibility of slave trade abolishment and pass