PDP8 - Slavery and the Slave Trade of Brazil

Author Bio: Thomas Nelson is the author of this excerpt and describes what he has seen during his experience as a surgeon on the Crescent, a British ship working to stop the slave trade of Brazil.

Data/Context: This document fits into our understanding of history and culture because its about the experience of a man working for Britain to stop the slave trade of Brazil. It describes the living conditions of the slaves in detail, which is important because slavery was such a huge, terrible part of world history.  

Summary: Overall, the document describes Nelson's experience saving and treating slaves as they were being illegally shipped to Brazil. The document begins with Nelson describing what he saw as he first stepped on a ship. Slaves were in unspeakable condition, many with multiple infectious diseases and all with a lack of food and water. The boats were overcrowded and many people could not walk. The slaves had to suffer through a suffocating heat and many did not recover from their diseases or suffered from lasting effects. In short, Nelson's description of the conditions that the slaves lived through while being transported shows just how inhumane slavery was and how much it needed to be abolished.

Key Quotation: "Many I found afflicted with a confluent smallpox, still more with purulent ophthalmia, and the majority of what remained, with dysentery, ulcers, emaciation, and exhaustion."