Jeffrey Kortman
Marcus Rediker, The Slave Ship: A Human History, (New York: Penguin, 2007)
From 1700 to 1807 millions of Africans traveled the middle passage to be sold in to
slavery. Marcus Rediker offers a new perspective in his novel, The Slave Ship: A Human
History. He illustrates many stories from different point of views at the most pivotal location of
the slave trade era: the slave ship decks. Rediker presents four human dramas that consistently
show up throughout the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The first human drama consisted of the relationship between the captain of the slave ship
and his crew. Its actors consisted of the main captain and his officers as well as the motley
sailors. None of these men had an easy job, they were embarking on a journey that would force
them to be tough and disciplined. The captain and the crew would often class in the beginning,
