The Zong story 2.0

The Zong was a slave trade ship that threw over 100 slaves

into the sea in 1783. The owners of the ship then went on to try and claim insurance money for the loss of their so called "cargo". A court case was then held not to determine whether they go to jail for throwing all of the slaves overboard but to determine whether they get their insurance money.

The owner of the Zong, James Gregson, described the slaves as property and not human. At the first hearing the court held that in some circumstances, the murder of enslaved people was legal and that meant they would be compensated for their loss. The insurers

appealed against the decision and the case went to appeal. At the hearing the judges ruled against the owners of the Zong based on new evidence suggesting that the captain and crew were at fault.

The massacre on the Zong has provided an extremely sad example of the horrors of slavery. The tragic event may even have contributed to the abolition of slavery movement, which finally led to the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833.

p.s I hope this hasn't ruined any of Freedom for you