Final answer:
Historical evidence demonstrates the inhumane conditions on slave ships through reports of enslaved people being tightly chained, many dying from disease, and some jumping to their deaths to escape the brutal conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The evidence from the passages supporting the claim that conditions on slave ships were inhumane includes the testimonies and historical data describing the environment in which the enslaved people were kept. These evidences are enumerated below:
- People were chained together, often with only a few inches of space above them, indicating severe confinement and restriction of movement.
- Many preferred jumping into the sea rather than endure the inhumane conditions, underlining the desperation and lack of hope experienced aboard the slave ships.
- The widespread occurrence of disease, many died from disease like dysentery, smallpox, and conjunctivitis, which swept through the close quarters due to poor sanitary conditions and lack of medical care.
These points provide strong evidence of the brutal and inhumane conditions enslaved people had to suffer during the Middle Passage, being treated as cargo rather than human beings.