In 1781, one of the most chilling events of the transatlantic slave trade took place aboard a British slave ship known as the Zon
In 1781, one of the most chilling events of the transatlantic slave trade took place aboard a British slave ship known as the Zong. The ship left West Africa carrying more than 440 enslaved Africans—far beyond what it could safely hold. Overcrowding was not an accident. It was part of a system designed to maximize profit, where human beings were treated as cargo rather than lives. As the voyage continued across the Atlantic, conditions quickly deteriorated. Disease spread, food and clean water became scarce, and a series of navigational errors made matters worse. The ship missed key waypoints, extending the journey and putting everyone on board at greater risk. Then came a decision that would define the ship’s legacy. Faced with shortages and fearing financial loss, the captain ordered that enslaved Africans be thrown overboard. Not as an act of survival—but so the ship’s owners could later claim insurance compensation for “lost cargo.” Over the course of several days, more than 130 Af...