What was the Middle Passage?

The Middle Passage refers specifically to the horrific and inhumane sea journey that enslaved Africans were forced to endure as they were transported to the Americas. This journey was part of the larger transatlantic slave trade and involved overcrowded, unsanitary conditions aboard ships, where enslaved individuals faced extreme cruelty, disease, and often death. It is a critical part of the history of slavery in the Americas, representing the suffering and dehumanization encountered by millions.

The other options do describe significant historical phenomena but do not accurately capture what the Middle Passage was. The journeys of European explorers to the Americas were about exploration and colonization efforts, while commercial trading routes between Europe and Asia were focused on trade in goods, not involving the slave trade. Lastly, the alliance between Native Americans and European settlers pertains to various interactions and agreements that occurred during colonization but is unrelated to the concept of the Middle Passage. Thus, option C is distinctly correct in the context of the Middle Passage’s historical significance.