Quote 1: “[Slaves] had sufficient room, sufficient air, and sufficient provisions. When upon deck, they made merry and amused themselves with dancing. As to mortality (1)… it was trifling (2). In short, the voyage from Africa to the West Indies was one of the happiest periods of a Negro’s life.”

1: mortality- the proportion of deaths to population

2: trifling- unimportant or trivial

Quote 2:

“The stench of the hold…was so intolerably loathsome (3) that it was dangerous to remain there for any time…but now that the whole ship’s cargo were confined together, it became absolutely pestilential (4). The closeness of the place and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us.”

3: loathsome- causing hatred or disgust

4: pestilential- harmful or destructive

Question 1:Read each of the following statements about the two quotes. Which of the following is the most accurate?

Quote 1 was written from the perspective of the owner of a slave ship, who profited from the slave trade.

Quote 2 was written from the perspective of a white plantation owner.

Quote 1 was written from the perspective of a slave who suffered through the middle passage.

Quote 2 was written from the perspective of an indentured servant who came to America to make a new life for himself.