Middle Passage Document Analysis

434 Words2 Pages

The most reliable document to understand the Middle Passage is document c which was the account of a slave ship doctor named Alexander Falconbridge in 1788 of the Slave Trade of Coast of Africa. This document is reliable because it is a primary source which is “an artifact, a document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, a recording, or other source of information that was created at the time under study”. Besides being a primary source, he was neither a slave owner or a slave, so there wouldn't be much bias towards a group. In his account, he writes about the harsh conditions he witnessed such as slaves being cuffed and held so closely to each other that they could only lie on their sides, buckets for feces, buckets for water, and tubs for food. These conditions lead to diseases such as flux to be spread easily. He stated that the ship “resembled a slaughter-house. A document that can be considered not a reliable source is document b which was an excerpt from the journal of a slave ship captain named Captain Thomas Phillips. Despite being a primary source because it was written during his voyages in 1732, it not reliable to get a true understanding of the Middle Passage. It is not reliable because he was a slaveowner and throughout the excerpt bias …show more content…

Another thing to check is if the document bias or there is any reason for it to be. Document c was the most reliable document because it was a primary source and from the views of a type of bystander, not having any bias or reason to have

Open Document