Latest / The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering — Fexingo History
The Slave Ship Zong Massacre: Insurance Fraud or Human Tragedy
In 1781, the British slave ship Zong was forced to jettison 132 enslaved Africans into the Atlantic Ocean. This episode examines the legal aftermath of that atrocity, focusing on how the crew’s owners, the Liverpool-based West India Merchants, filed an insurance claim for the lost cargo rather than mourning the deaths. We explore the pivotal court case in London, where Lord Mansfield presided over arguments that defined enslaved people as 'chattels' under maritime law. The narrative centers on Granville Sharp, a Quaker abolitionist who mobilized public opinion against the ruling. By…
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