What was the main cause of death among African captives being transported from the Americas on slave ships?

Question

What was the main cause of death among African captives being transported from the Americas on slave ships?

(1 point)
Captives were brutally beaten by slave ship captains.
Diseases spread quickly in the tightly packed holds of ships.
Most captives died from a lack of food and water.
Slave mutinies resulted in thousands of deaths

Answer 1

The main cause of death among African captives being transported from the Americas on slave ships was diseases spreading quickly in the tightly packed holds of ships.

Answer 2

The main cause of death among African captives being transported from the Americas on slave ships was diseases spreading quickly in the tightly packed holds of ships.

Answer 3

The main cause of death among African captives being transported from the Americas on slave ships was diseases spreading quickly in the tightly packed holds of the ships. To arrive at this answer, one can look back at historical records and accounts of the transatlantic slave trade. It is important to note that while all the options presented were unfortunate realities during the slave trade, diseases were particularly devastating due to the cramped and unsanitary conditions on the ships. Captives were often tightly packed together, making it easier for diseases to spread rapidly. The lack of proper sanitation and access to medical care meant that illnesses such as dysentery, smallpox, and other contagious diseases could spread quickly and lead to high mortality rates among the African captives.