On this day, November 29, in 1781

The Zong Massacre claimed the lives of 132 enslaved African people. The crew of the British slave ship, Zong, had packed on more slaves than they had room for, causing disease and malnutrition. Upon realizing that the remaining slaves had little chance of survival, the captain ordered that the slaves be drowned, in order to collect insurance on them. When they returned to England the owners of the ship claimed the full value of the murdered slaves, who were legally considered to be physical property. This mass-killing of African slaves resulted in a battle against the African Slave Trade of the eighteenth century and the eventual abolition of slavery in Britain. The middle passage is infamous for its inhumane conditions and the atrocious acts committed on board the ships.