A Shaft of Sunlight

AUTHOR’S NOTE

AUTHOR’S NOTEIt was after the development of the sugar plantations that the slave trade between the West Coast of Africa and the Americas reached enormous proportions, becoming the most lucrative trade of the time.

The English became the most important importers of slaves although the Dutch, French, and other nations also took part in the trade.

Ships set out first from a home port such as Liverpool, carrying liquor, cotton goods, firearms and trinkets which were exchanged for slaves right along what was called the Slave Coast-the Gulf of Guinea.

Then came what was known as “the middle voyage” towards one of the Colonies or countries on the American continent. The slaves closely packed in the hull, often chained to prevent rebellion or from jumping into the sea, suffered agonies.

Food was inadequate, water scarce, mortality often reached the appalling proportion of 20 percent. If it was necessary to reduce the load in a heavy sea, the sick were thrown overboard.

On arrival slaves were kept in stockades to await a purchaser. The ship was then loaded with another cargo, such as sugar produced on the American plantations, and sailed for home. If all went well, the profit was enormous.

Despite strong protests against this traffic by the Quakers and William Wilberforce, it was not until 1806 that Parliament prohibited British merchants from providing slaves and from the importation of them into British possessions.

The traffic continued, however, until 1811 when slave trading became a criminal offence.