The Slave Ship: A Human History

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence and death.

John Newton, the infamous 18th-century sea captain who later became a prominent abolitionist, offers unique insight into the life and mindset of a slave-ship captain. Through his logs, letters, spiritual diaries, and reflective essays, Newton reveals the tension between his faith and his role in the transatlantic slave trade. Newton’s life journey took him from a tumultuous seafaring career to a role as a Christian minister and hymn writer, known for “Amazing Grace.” Newton’s command aboard slave ships exemplified the “almost unlimited power” that captains wielded in their floating kingdoms (157). In letters to his wife, Newton recounted the power dynamics on his ship, where sailors and enslaved Africans alike were subject to his orders. Captains controlled labor, food, and even time, enforcing discipline through strict routines and brutal punishments. On slaving voyages, this authority extended to managing the transport of hundreds of enslaved people, a role that Newton approached with a mix of administrative rigor and personal detachment.

Newton was born into a maritime family, and his father, a strict ship captain, groomed him for a seafaring career. However, Newton’s rebellious nature led to conflicts with authority, culminating in his desertion from the Royal Navy—a crime for which he was “publicly stripped and whipped” (159).