The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. . . .

We were conducted immediately to the merchant’s yard, where we were all pent up together like so many sheep in a fold [pen], without regard to sex or age.

–The Life of Olaudah Equiano,
Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano’s account in the excerpt describes the experiences of Africans who were

working on a Caribbean sugar plantation.
serving as members of an explorer’s sailing crew.
going through the Middle Passage of the Triangular Trade.
spending life as indentured servants in Virginia.