Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
A recent finding in Liverpool has shed light on the dark history of the transatlantic slave trade, with the unearthing of an advertisement for a British slaver’s ship. The Liverpool Black History Research Group stumbled upon the advert for the Metis, a ship built in Liverpool, dating back to July 25, 1805. This discovery was made during an investigation into the historical significance of the Canning Dock located along the River Mersey, a site deeply entrenched in the transatlantic trade of enslaved individuals.
The advertisement, published in Gore’s Liverpool General Advertiser, details the sale of the Metis, a speedy vessel capable of carrying up to 185 slaves. The ship, which was in the graving dock at the time, highlights the role of dry docks in Liverpool in maintaining and repairing vessels involved in the trafficking of captured Africans to the Americas during the era of transatlantic slavery. The dry docks in Liverpool facilitated quick and efficient maintenance of ships, maximizing merchant profits at the expense of human lives.
Liverpool’s dry docks were not only used for the repair of slavers’ ships but also for unloading consumer goods from these vessels bound for the British market. Items like rum, cotton, coffee, sugar, tobacco, fruits, Nicaragua wood, and mother of pearl were traded in exchange for British-made guns, perpetuating conflict and capture during the 18th and 19th centuries. The impact of this historical legacy is being acknowledged for the first time through a £58m transformation project, including the conversion of No 2 dry dock into a contemplation space for public reflection.
Headed by Liz Stewart, the Museum of Liverpool, in collaboration with various community groups like Writing on the Wall, 20 Stories High, Squash, and the Liverpool Black History Research Group, has finalized the design for the waterfront transformation project. The public space aims to provide a platform to delve into Liverpool’s complicit role in transatlantic slavery, emphasizing the need to confront and learn from this difficult chapter in British history. The unveiling of the Metis ship advert serves as a stark reminder of the city’s deep-rooted connection to the brutal trade in enslaved African people, urging continued dialogue and reflection on the horrors of the past
Read the full article from The Guardian here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.