Breeana Schmidt
Marcus Rediker, The Slave Ship: A Human History
The slave ships were sickening and unjustifiable, a stain on human history. Despite this, or rather because of this, we must not forget any of it. While it may be difficult to hear about, it was an important part of our history and despite what we may want to believe, it has shaped our country into what it is today. Marcus Rediker’s The Slave Ship: A Human History shows the people often seen on a slave ship and their roles in the horrific events that took place on it. Very few sailors joined a ship of their free will. Their immune systems gave little to no protection against the diseases on the West African Coast, making death a certainty on board the slave ship (244). If it …show more content…
Individuals who opposed the slave trade were referred to as abolitionists. The strategy used by abolitionists to end the slave trade was to make the general public aware of the horrors that took place on board the ships (308). Unfortunately, it proved difficult for them to find sources the public considered credible. As merchants and captains benefited greatly from the slave trade, they had no interest in providing abolitionists with evidence of their wrong doings (323). Conversely some would even attempt to harm the questioning abolitionists (323). Despite this abolitionists were still able to find out a good amount of information. Common sailors were more than willing to talk about their experiences on slave ships …show more content…
While these parts of history are unpleasant to say the least, it is necessary to acknowledge their existence. To do otherwise would trivialize the real hardships of the slave ship’s victims and make it easier for something just as brutal to happen again. As cliche as George Santayana’s famous quote, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” is, it is very true. When people deny the existence or severity of horrific events from the past, it becomes easier to allow similar situations to
Marcus Rediker, The Slave Ship: A Human History
The slave ships were sickening and unjustifiable, a stain on human history. Despite this, or rather because of this, we must not forget any of it. While it may be difficult to hear about, it was an important part of our history and despite what we may want to believe, it has shaped our country into what it is today. Marcus Rediker’s The Slave Ship: A Human History shows the people often seen on a slave ship and their roles in the horrific events that took place on it. Very few sailors joined a ship of their free will. Their immune systems gave little to no protection against the diseases on the West African Coast, making death a certainty on board the slave ship (244). If it …show more content…
Individuals who opposed the slave trade were referred to as abolitionists. The strategy used by abolitionists to end the slave trade was to make the general public aware of the horrors that took place on board the ships (308). Unfortunately, it proved difficult for them to find sources the public considered credible. As merchants and captains benefited greatly from the slave trade, they had no interest in providing abolitionists with evidence of their wrong doings (323). Conversely some would even attempt to harm the questioning abolitionists (323). Despite this abolitionists were still able to find out a good amount of information. Common sailors were more than willing to talk about their experiences on slave ships …show more content…
While these parts of history are unpleasant to say the least, it is necessary to acknowledge their existence. To do otherwise would trivialize the real hardships of the slave ship’s victims and make it easier for something just as brutal to happen again. As cliche as George Santayana’s famous quote, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” is, it is very true. When people deny the existence or severity of horrific events from the past, it becomes easier to allow similar situations to