What made the middle passage such as a terrible ordeal for the enslaved africans?

The Middle Passage was a horrific ordeal for enslaved Africans due to the brutal and inhumane conditions aboard slave ships. Overcrowded and poorly ventilated, these ships often subjected individuals to extreme physical abuse, disease, and malnutrition during the long journey across the Atlantic. Many were shackled together, denied basic necessities, and faced the trauma of separation from their families and communities. As a result, a significant proportion did not survive the journey, making it one of the darkest chapters of the transatlantic slave trade.