Middle Passages and Forced Migrations: Liberated Africans in Nineteenth-Century US Camps and Ships

Between 1858 and 1860, Africans liberated by the US Navy from four slave ships near the Cuban coast were detained in Federal custody before being transported for resettlement in Liberia. This article draws on the concept of ‘middle passage’ and ‘forced migration’ to explore the conditions under which the US government seized, detained, and transported Africans rescued from illegal trafficking. Looking at slave trade suppression through the lens of forced migration rather than legal process not only illuminates the traumatic aftermath of the original Middle Passage but also connects the voyages of liberated African shipmates to a broader history of coerced global movement.