Asked by Cierra Mahone on Jun 25, 2024

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Which of the following statements about slave ships is LEAST accurate?

A) Diseases such as smallpox and "the flux" frequently dealt mortal blows to both the cargoes and the crews of slave ships.
B) Although countries such as Britain enacted legislation to limit the number of slaves which a given ship could carry,slavers often crammed their holds with as many slaves as they could in defiance of the law.
C) The numbers of deaths on slave ships were high largely because slavers found it more profitable not to purchase fresh provisions or medicines before leaving the coast of Africa.
D) The trade in slaves was so profitable that European traders could reasonably expect to earn as much as a 100% profit from an investment in a slave ship.

Slave Ships

Vessels used to transport enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas in the transatlantic slave trade.

Smallpox

A contagious, disfiguring, and often deadly disease caused by the variola virus, eradicated globally by 1980 through vaccination efforts.

  • Gain insight into the ordeal Africans went through during their capture, transportation, and subsequent enslavement.
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SIMRANJEET SINGHJun 29, 2024
Final Answer :
C
Explanation :
C) is the least accurate because while the numbers of deaths on slave ships were indeed high, the primary reasons were the brutal conditions aboard such as overcrowding, malnutrition, and disease, rather than a deliberate choice not to purchase provisions or medicines. While cost-saving measures did occur, the statement oversimplifies the complex factors contributing to the high mortality rates.