An account of the slave trade on the coast of Africa

"An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa" by Alexander Falconbridge is a historical account written in the late 18th century. The book provides a firsthand observation of the transatlantic slave trade, detailing the horrors faced by enslaved Africans from their capture, transportation, and sale in the West Indies. Falconbridge, a surgeon who worked on slave ships, offers critical insights into the inhumanity of the slave trade, the conditions aboard the ships, and the experiences of both the slaves and the sailors involved in this brutal commerce. Throughout the text, Falconbridge recounts numerous harrowing experiences that illustrate the cruelty and suffering inflicted upon enslaved people. He describes how individuals were kidnapped, sold into slavery, and subjected to appalling living conditions during their transportation. The chilling treatment meted out to the slaves, which often included overcrowding, insufficient food, and violent punishments, is vividly portrayed. Falconbridge also sheds light on the plight of the sailors involved in the trade, many of whom endure severe hardships, face brutal treatment from officers, and suffer high mortality rates. By sharing these accounts, Falconbridge aims to raise awareness and promote abolitionist sentiments regarding the grotesque realities of the slave trade. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Alexander Falconbridge was a British surgeon who took part in four voyages in slave ships between 1782 and 1787. In time he became an abolitionist and in 1788 published An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa. In 1791 he was sent by the Anti-Slavery Society to Granville Town, Sierra Leone, a community of freed slaves, where he died a year later in 1792.