"A Slave Ship Speaks"

On September 15, 1699, the sleek and swift merchant ship, the Henrietta Marie set sail from England on what promised to be another successful trading venture. The ship, originally built by the French, was acquired by the British as a prize taken during battle. Renamed for the wife of then-King of England Charles I, the Henrietta Marie was 70-feet long and weighed 120 tons. Within its holds, or storage areas, colorful arrays of goods were secured. Among these items were iron bars, pewter dishes and glass beads-particular favorites of the African chieftains of the Guinea Coast of West Africa.

In return for English dishes, iron, and beads, the ship's English agent received African trade goods which included precious ivory and gold, spices and something even more valuable-approximately 250 African men, women, and children, most of whom had been captured and sold into slavery. Chained together to prevent escape, the slaves were packed into a ship's hold measuring not more than ten feet deep and only 23 feet wide, giving each slave roughly a space of 5 ½ feet long and 16 inches wide. The ship then embarked on the second stage of its journey-a two to three month trip across the Atlantic to Port Royal, Jamaica, known as the "Middle Passage."

The journey was horrific. Male slaves were shackled to one another by the ankles to prevent their escape. Sometimes, though not always, women and children were shackled as well. In the hold, the air was foul and stank of human sweat, sickness, and death. Food was not plentiful, and starvation common. The Africans so feared what awaited them-many thought they would be eaten, while others refused to surrender their freedom-that some committed suicide by jumping overboard. The death rate for slaves and crew was between 13 percent and 33 percent on each voyage. According to records, the Henrietta Marie did better than many other ships of her size, losing only 8 percent of the people on board to disease and accidents.

Ships like the Henrietta Marie were a common sight. Between 1590 and 1840, these ships, often called "slavers" because of their cargo, traveled from Europe to West Africa to the Americas. This voyage became known as the ""Triangular Trade Route." The ships left port carrying London-made goods such as pewter, which their crews traded to the Africans for slaves, gold, and spices. The slaves were then sold to American plantation owners in exchange for cotton and sugar - much in demand back in Europe.

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