1781 The Zong Massacre
On August 18th 1781, the sailing ship Zong sailed from Accra on the Gold Coast of Africa with a crew of 17 and a hold full of slaves — 441 of them, more than twice as many as could have been transported safely. By late November the ship had reached the Caribbean but was still some way from its Jamaican destination and running low on water. Several sailors and dozens of slaves had already died, and the captain was ill, leaving a drunkard in charge of the vessel. The crew decided that they had to dispose of some of their cargo in order to save the rest so on November 29, they began to toss their African captives overboard.
This mass murder was deemed to be a prudent financial decision, for if the slaves died after reaching land, the Liverpool ship-owners would not be able to collect insurance on their property (valued at £30 a head). If the slaves died a natural death at sea, insurance claims could not be made either. However, if some slaves were killed in order to save the rest of the merchandise or the ship, then a claim could be made on the principle that a captain who jettisons part of his cargo in order to save the rest can claim for the loss from his insurers. In the end, 133 Africans were tossed into the sea.
The insurance company, however, refused to pay and the case went to court in England where it caused a huge wave of hostility to the slave trade. The shipowners had precedent on their side, claimed that the deaths were necessary and that payment should be made as if it were any cargo, not human life, that was being jettisoned. Their opponents argued that the taking of innocent life, even in self-defence, was unjustified. Moreover, it had rained heavily on the voyage providing ample water for the ship, but the killings had continued. The courts eventually ruled in favour of the insurers. No one was ever prosecuted for the mass murder but the case inspired the anti-slavery movement and led, first to laws hindering the abuses of the trade, and then eventually abolishing it all together.