The slave trade did indeed build a new society, but at a very high cost. The estimates of the number who died range from 2 to 60 million (see the ‘Human toll’ section of this Wikipedia article). One estimate is that 12 million enslaved Africans entered the slave trade with about 1.5 million dying in transit. The slave trade changed ecosystems, some were apparent such as the clearing of land to plant crops like tobacco and cotton. Others are not so apparent. Sharks also made the Atlantic transit, following ships to eat the dead thrown into the sea. In brief, we will never know the full extent of this horror.
Note: I decided to look for the ship “David” and include it here. Seemed only fair since an earlier vessel shared the name of my mother and of a friend.
For further information regarding today’s posting visit Erasure.
The Ugliness is the Hope.
Resist. Persist. Oppose. Propose. Be the opposition with a proposition.