AS A MATTER OF FACT!

The first Europeans to trade for gold in West Africa were the Portuguese. But what they ultimately discovered was an endless supply of Black workers.

A slave ship took about 2-3 months to cross the Atlantic Ocean. This terrible journey of a slave ship was called the MIDDLE PASSAGE. Thousands died from disease. So many dead bodies were thrown overboard that sharks followed the ships across the ocean.

Black people first came to America as INDENTURED SERVANTS. Indentured servants worked under an agreement for a colonist for a period of seven years, after which they were freed from their contract. Being a SLAVE was for life. Slaves were property with no human rights whatsoever. They were treated as a commodity to be sold or traded at their master's whim.