Black History
18th Century “Middle Passage” Iron Slave Shackles
c. 1750-1800 18th Century, Wrought Iron Slave Shackles, “Middle Passage” Type, Choice Very Fine.
Original “Middle Passage” Wrought Iron Slave Leg Shackles, measures about 13" in length. These shackles such as these are a grim reminder of the practices of Slave trading that occurred during the Middle Passage route circa 1750-1800.

The captive African Slave’s feet would have been bound in each ankle brace then hammering in a ring on the end to secure the restraints in place. In the case a Slave trader could afford one, a simple early padlock would be used. Similar shackles were also used on hands, though many Slaves had their hands bound in cloth and rope. There is expected minor surface pitting and oxidation from age, having a heavy natural rich patina.

The “Middle Passage” was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of people from Africa were shipped to the New World as part of the Atlantic Slave trade. Ships departed Europe for African markets with manufactured goods, which were traded for purchased or kidnapped Africans, who were transported across the Atlantic as Slaves; the Slaves were then sold or traded for raw materials, which would be transported back to Europe to complete the voyage. Voyages on the Middle Passage were a large financial undertaking, and they were generally organized by companies or groups of investors rather than individuals. A solid example and a truly historical artifact from the 18th Century Slave trade that would be excellent for display.
The Middle Passage was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of people from Africa were shipped to the New World as part of the Atlantic Slave trade.

Ships departed Europe for African markets with manufactured goods, which were traded for purchased or kidnapped Africans, who were transported across the Atlantic as Slaves; the Slaves were then sold or traded for raw materials, which would be transported back to Europe to complete the voyage. Voyages on the Middle Passage were a large financial undertaking, and they were generally organized by companies or groups of investors rather than individuals.

The "Middle Passage" was considered a time of in-betweenness for those being traded from Africa to America. The close quarters and intentional division of pre-established African communities by the ship crew motivated captive Africans to force bonds of kinship which then created forced Transatlantic communities. These newly established bonds greatly impacted and altered African identity and culture within each community. It was a significant contributing aspect to the slaves survival of the "Middle Passage" and carried into their life in America.

Traders from the Americas and Caribbean received the enslaved Africans. European powers such as Portugal, England, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Brandenburg, as well as traders from Brazil and North America, took part in this trade. The enslaved Africans came mostly from eight regions: Senegambia, Upper Guinea, Windward Coast, Gold Coast, Bight of Benin, Bight of Biafra, West Central Africa and Southeastern Africa.

An estimated 15% of the Africans died at sea, with mortality rates considerably higher in Africa itself in the process of capturing and transporting indigenous peoples to the ships. The total number of African deaths directly attributable to the Middle Passage voyage is estimated at up to two million; a broader look at African deaths directly attributable to the institution of slavery from 1500 to 1900 suggests up to four million African deaths.

For two hundred years, 1440–1640, Portuguese slavers had a near monopoly on the export of slaves from Africa. During the eighteenth century, when the slave trade transported about 6 million Africans, British Slavers carried almost 2.5 million.

(From Wikipedia)