The Zong Massacre Trade In The British Empire

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The Zong Massacre
The Zong Massacre involved a mass murder of over 130 African slaves by the British soldiers who were ferrying them from the coast of Africa on 29 November 1781. More slaves than allowed had been bundled in the ship than it could accommodate in order to make a lot of profitsCITATION DRR14 \p 23 \l 1033 (DR. R. A. Milwood 23). Due to navigational mistake, the ship had to stay longer in the sea leading to shortage of supplies like drinking water and this forced the crew members to throw some slaves into the water hoping to cash in on the insurance money they took on the slaves’ lives which would ensure that the trader does not lose money after the death of slaves due to lack of drinking water. This deliberate move meant to also allow the crew members to survive on the little water and food they had. As such, the sick slaves were thrown out leading to the death of over 130 slaves. When the ship arrived in Jamaica, its owner claimed for insurance arguing that his ship lacked enough water and food leading to the death of 10 slaves. The court ruled in favor of the ship owner but the insurers appealed the case. A freed slave named Olaudah Equiano opened up about the mass massacre of slaves which evoked mixed reactions among the British people and various government bodies leading to the emergence of many anti-slavery activists and the Great Britain abolitionistsCITATION Mic18 \p 45 \l 1033 (Faubert 45). The abolitionist used the deaths of slaves to make people understand the horrors of the slave trade. The insurers were favored after the court decided that the slaves in the ship were not supplied with enough food and water. In light of this, this essay focuses on the significance of the Zong massacre in the abolition of slave trade in the British Empire.
The ill-treatment came to be known by everyone after the Zong slaves died, although the law never changed immediately following the Zong massacre. However, it brought many people in support of the end for slavery together and after the revelation by Oloudah about the Zong massacre, even more people were brought on board including Sharp who strongly supported the end of slaveryCITATION LLC10 \p 62 \l 1033 (LLC Books 62). In 1783 a presentation of a petition was made for the abolition of the slave trade and a lot of prominent people came together and formed an anti-slavery trade society. Because those who were responsible for the Zong deaths were never brought to justice, the victims did not get justice. There were motions taken to parliament to abolish slave trade throughout the British Empire and the Zong massacre brought about the abolitionist movement in Britain. As a result, the number of slave transportation was restricted in 1788 and in 1807 and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was prohibited in Britain. Slavery Abolition Act 1833 eliminated slavery in the British EmpireCITATION MNo08 \p 71 \l 1033 (Philip and Boateng 71).
The Zong owners claimed compensation which the insurers denied providingCITATION Jam142 \p 52 \l 1033 (Walvin, Atlas of Slavery 52). Its logbook was lost, which contained proof of the massacre. In Guildhall London on March 6, 1783, a court case was brought forward to sue the ship owners. Earl of Mansfield the judge presided over the case where the jury ruled in favor of the Zong slaves owners. On May 21 and 22, 1783, an appeal was made which brought another trial on board and determined that the crew members in Zong were liable for the deaths and suffering of the slaves. Crew members were brought to court for killing people but the case was heard as an insurance fraud rather than a mass murder case. This symbolized how reluctant the authority was to address the horrors the slaves went through during middle passage. However, it only served to strengthen the goal of abolishing slave trade campaign. Indeed, the Middle Passage was never fun for either of the parties because of the fact that slaves committed suicide due to the harsh conditions they were subjected to and some even resisted against the crew members – a fact that saw many people lose their lives in the water.
During the trial, it was revealed that heavy rain fell after the second group of slaves was killed and after the rain stopped another group of slaves was killed. In all these killings, no crew member in the Zong was held responsible. Granville Sharp, a white English abolitionist, tried to get all Zong crew members penalized for killing a lot of slaves but his attempts did not go through. Justice John Lee, Great Britain's Solicitor General refused to charge the crew members in Zong as criminals (Walvin 57). He referred the slaves as goods or chattels, i.e. goods and property to be sold. He ruled that crew members were honorable members and they had no offense to be called murderers.
Although those who were responsible in the Zong massacre were never brought to face justice, the incident made everyone one come to the realization of the incident and about how slaves were killed and misused during that time. Many people came out to fight for slave’s rights and also the abolition of slave trade in the British Empire parliament. Granville Sharp and Olaudah Equiano were the first people to come together and campaigned for the abolition of slave trade whereby they involved converts like Thomas Clarkson and Reverend. They were all inspired by William Wilberforce who led a successful campaign to abolish slave trade in the parliamentCITATION Jam142 \p 70 \l 1033 (Walvin, Atlas of Slavery 70). Notably, Wilberforce championed the abolitionist movement through various activities and efforts that argued against slave trade not only as an act against human rights but on the basis of benefits and losses. As such, Wilberforce explicated that the British government was losing more resources including financial and human resources and not gaining anything. Successfully, through the enactment of the 1807 Slave Trade Act, slave trade became an illegal business prompting the Royal Navy to impose the Blockage of Africa. Consequently, this also saw the United States come in full force in the following year in such a manner that Atlantic slavery was halted immediately and any ships suspected to be carrying slaves were impounded.
It should be noted that the death of slaves and the mistreatments in Zong were used to increase public awareness among influential people and many anti-slavery movements were formed not only in England but also across major European countries that sought to put an end to this menace. The rules were made on the number of slaves to be transported and later there was a ban on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in the British Empire in 1807. The Zong massacre made Britain put an end to the buying and selling of human beingsCITATION MNo08 \p 71 \l 1033 (Philip and Boateng 71). A lot of anti-slavery people held campaigns in support of bringing slavery to an end especially those involving slaves from the transatlantic countries. Notably, these campaigns developed alongside auspicious international events such as the French Revolution. In 1807, the British House of Lords passed an Act for the Abolition of Slave Trade that prohibited any kind of slave transportation within the countryCITATION Jam142 \p 56 \l 1033 (Walvin, Atlas of Slavery 56). In Great Britain, slave traders were given up until May 1807 to comply but those left before May were exempted from the prohibition.
The campaigners faced difficulties and they struggled a lot to mobilize people that slave trade was wrong as many people were dying in the process and justice was never given to the affected people. They argued that ending slave trade and declaring it illegal was the only way to end sufferings, deaths, and mistreatments faced by slaves. This was to be achieved through prohibition of all British ships from taking part in any kind of slave business. The initiation of Slavery Abolition Act 1833 in the British...