<P> The Middle Passage was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of Africans were shipped to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade . Ships departed Europe for African markets with manufactured goods , which were traded for purchased or kidnapped Africans , who were transported across the Atlantic as slaves ; the slaves were then sold or traded for raw materials , which would be transported back to Europe to complete the voyage . Voyages on the Middle Passage were large financial undertakings , generally organized by companies or groups of investors rather than individuals . </P>
the aspect of the atlantic slave trade named the middle passage refers to
the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of Africans were shipped to the New World