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Middle Passage
noun
: the forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas
Examples of Middle Passage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bunce Island, where captive West Africans were held in a stone fortress before being forced onto slave ships for the deadly journey across the Middle Passage, served as the center of the region’s slave trade.
—Joshua Kagavi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
In the play, Dontrell Jones III braves the Atlantic Ocean in search of an ancestor lost during the Middle Passage.
—John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2024
Ghana’s infamous Elmina Castle, where captive Africans were held before leaving the continent for the Middle Passage, was in Dutch possession for more than 200 years.
—Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
There’s likely no record of those who came before—my ancestors who survived the Middle Passage or who toiled for decades before they were deemed human enough to have their names listed.
—Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
The practice survived the Middle Passage from Africa to America, but often had to be performed clandestinely.
—Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023
The emotional arc of the work is reflected in its diatonic, neoclassical beginning, becoming more chromatic, with the Middle Passage represented by a genuine 12-tone row, giving way to the lilting tonal hymn of the final section.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Nov. 2023
Ship captains relied on African agricultural products to feed the 12 million enslaved Africans transported to the Americas through a brutal voyage known as the Middle Passage.
—Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2023
In partnership with the Universal Sailing Club, the ceremony is an annual remembrance ritual honoring the millions of captive Africans who perished during the transatlantic crossing known as the Middle Passage.
—Lilly Price, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Middle Passage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1788, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near Middle Passage
Cite this Entry
“Middle Passage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Middle%20Passage. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
Middle Passage
noun
: the forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas
More from Merriam-Webster on Middle Passage
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Middle Passage
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