The middle passage has been so mythologized in the history of slavery. The only protection these people have is because of their worth as a com odity. There's all sorts of laws that i can name from multiple countries, over multiple eras, that are designed to make this situation better for the enslaved people.
The Atlantic Slave Trade mixes centuries of human bondage with violence, economics, commerce, geo-political competition, liberty, morality, injustice, revolution, tragedy and bloody reckonings. That sounds like a lot, yet this show merely scratches the surface of this enormous subject.