"The Slave Ship" by Marcus Rediker

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at Marcus Rediker's "The Slave Ship" and describes Rediker's graphic depiction of the treatment of slaves, the terror used to subjugate them and the cruel and untimely deaths of millions of Africans. The paper highlights Rediker's belief that the slave trade was born out of the desire for capitalistic gain throughout the world. The paper also offers a personal, emotive response to the novel.

From the Paper:

"Marcus Rediker explains that the invention of the ship marks the beginning of the slave trade. The origins of the slave ship go back to the late fifteenth century when the Portuguese made voyages to the west coast of Africa where they bought gold, ivory, and human beings (Rediker 41-42). Rediker states "These early 'explorations' marked the
beginning of the Atlantic slave trade" (Rediker 42). European rulers soon joined in using ships to explore new lands in order to trade and build empires. The golden age of the slave trade is a period lasting from 1700 to 1808, and more captives were transported during this time than any other. Three million slaves were transferred in British and American ships (Rediker 5). While en route to new destinations, slaves were forced to live in the lower decks of the ships in abominable conditions including filth and overcrowding. The ship captains of the slaves were hard and cruel men who resorted to violence to control the captives."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Rediker, Marcus. The Slave Ship: A Human History Viking; New York, 2007.

More papers on "The Slave Ship" by Marcus Rediker:

• Book Review # 128003 : "Review of "The Slave Ship: A Human History"
• Book Review # 118464 : "Slavery and Humanity"
• Book Review # 125909 : "The Slave Community"

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