Andrew Weber

Professor Jane Calvert

October 28, 2015

HIS 108
Alexander Falconbridge, excerpts from An Account of the Slave Trade (1788)

Born in mid eighteenth century Bristol, England, Alexander Falconbridge grew to

become an aspiring doctor. At age twenty, and without the wealth to establish himself and a
medical practice, he became a surgeon aboard a slave ship. 1 Falconbridge would sail to Western
Africa, the hub of all Atlantic slave trade operations. Here he was tasked with keeping slaves
alive, to the effect that the slave traders could prevent loss of profit. He soon realized the
revolting conditions slaves were forced to live in, and would leave the slave trade in 1787 out of
pure disgust. Exposed to horrors beyond imagination, he would be influenced to join a British
Abolitionist Society by a man named Thomas Clarkson. His experiences culminated in his An
Account of the Slave Trade, a testimony to the travesty of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
From the beginning, this document appears similar to that of The Letter of the Indentured
Servant to his Father and Mother. A young man shipped away to a foreign land, writing of the
poor conditions surrounding him. Both had brought themselves into their inherent situation.
Falconbridge had the advantage of only being the observer of others in helpless situations, while
the indentured servant was living a nightmare of dire consequences. For we live in fear of the

Simkin, John. Spartacus Educational. Http://spartacus-educational.com/USASfalconbridge.htm, 1 Sept. 1997. Web.

21 Oct. 2015.
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enemy every hourwe are 32 to fight against 3000 if they should come. 2 In terms of enemies,
Falconbridge did not worry about Native Americans like the indentured servant. But disease and
the ever increasing chance of mutiny aboard the ship were constant threats. Insurrections are
often the consequence; which are seldom expressed without much bloodshed3 Both touch on the
theme of being alone in a time of tribulations.
Since the earliest formations of civilizations, there have also been slaves. Whether they
were criminals, prisoners of war or victims of kidnapping, the slave trade was one of mans
longest reigning economic systems. When Falconbridge wrote his account the Atlantic Slave
Trade was still in full swing. The New World was desperate for a cheap labor force that could be
filled by African slaves. Most of the slaves had been sold by West African slavers to West
European slavers who then transported them across the ocean. All ships traveled in a similar
triangle pattern. The "triangle trade" carried agricultural products from America to Europe,
manufactured goods from Europe to Africa, and slaves from Africa to America.4 Falconbridge
wrote his Account of the Slave Trade to reveal what kind of acts of inhumanity the slavers
where committing against slaves who were actual people. At first, even with such descriptive
details, Falconbridge still swayed few people away from the slave system. It was seen as though
economic benefits far outweighed any reasoning to abolish slavery.
Falconbridges negative opinions of the slave trade were not his initial thoughts either.
Like many, he first believed that slaves were brought over in a humane way much like cattle.
2

Richard Frethorne, Letter of an Indentured Servant to his Father and Mother (1623), in Course Reader: HIS 108:
History of the U.S. to 1876, ed. Jane E. Calvert (Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill, 2015), pg. 5-6.
3

Alexander Falconbridge, excerpts from An Account of the Slave Trade (1788), in Course Reader: HIS 108: History
of the U.S. to 1876, ed. Jane E. Calvert (Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill, 2015), pgs. 192-194.
4

Falconbridge, Alexander, and Freeman, Shane. "An Account of the Slave Trade." Learnnc.org. UNC School of
Education, 2007. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
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The kings and principal men bred Negroes for sale as we do cattle.3 Even regular farm animals
were treated with more respect than the captured Africans. Before even making it onto a ship,
doctors were tasked with checking for diseases and any disabilities. Slaves rejected by the
captains of ships were often harshly beaten or executed, by the slave traders, via beheading in
front of the captain. Those who passed the inspection were crammed into ships as tightly as
possible then shackled by irons. Each person would usually have to lay on their side due to the
tightness of quarters. And like bunkbeds, the decks are so closely spaced apart only allowing
two to three feet between each layer of slaves.3
Of the worst part for the slaves, the lack of fresh air and the abundance of sickness and
excrement locked in with the hundreds of sweating bodies. Shackles would prevent the slaves
from making it to the buckets sparingly provided to them, thus they would relieve themselves
where they lay.3 Portholes were all that provided for fresh air and they were minuscule to
prevent any possible escape. But when the weather was poor, these portholes were closed. The
result was a putrid, hot mix of blood and mucuses. Under these circumstances Falconbridge
could only bear the wretched conditions for less than fifteen minutes. In a quarter of an hour I
was so overcome with the heat, stench and foul air that I nearly fainted3 Compared to a bloody
slaughter-house, these slave ships were all but hospitable.
The reason behind Falconbridges writing An Account of the Slave Trade can be traced
back to a man named Thomas Clarkson. The co-founder of the British Society for the Abolition
of the Slave Trade. After these two met, Falconbridge exchanged many of his slave trade horror
stories and was told he could write for the Society for Abolition of the Slave Trade.5 Regardless
5

Clarkson, Thomas. "Collecting Evidence: The Abolition of Slavery Project." The Abolition of Slavery Project. East of
England Broadband Network, 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
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of what Falconbridge would say in his statement, people would still continue buying and selling
slaves all over the world. They were a natural economic asset that many cultures would suffer
without. Especially the Southern Colonies of America, the demand was just too high at this point
in time that nothing could be done to immediately change how the slave system worked in
Africa. This does not mean Falconbridges document did not have an eventual effect on slave
policy.
When considering how much wealth there was in the slave trading network, the question
always arises why slaves were treated so poorly. Compared with other livestock, slaves
undoubtedly take the worst punishment. The natural human instincts yearn for freedom and
liberty, therefor human slaves are some of the most rebellious livestock. The only way to
prevent that rebellion is to crush spirit mentally and physically. Such as a ship of cattle may
have plenty of space and food to keep them healthy. But the health of the cattle does not play
into its rebellious tendencies. Feed a man and give him room to fight with no shackles, there will
be rebellion among that ship once he and few others realize they can fight for their freedom.
Some slaves would fight amongst each other, while other ships some would try to rebel
alongside each other.
Of the terrible things Falconbridge writes about, the disastrous ship at Bonny that took on
far too many slaves is one of the greatest tragedies. Though much smaller than most other ships,
an entire six hundred or more slaves were taken on. With so many extra slaves and even less
room, the slaves were made to be sitting upon one another. Just from the tight quarters and
motion of the ship, their skin and even their flesh entirely rubbed off.3 This combined with the
bloody flux put the slaves in excruciating pain and nearly half died before the ship arrived at its

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destination. Falconbridges worst instance of brutality is described first by stating Various

deceptions are used in the disposal of sick slaves and many of these must excite in every humane
mind the liveliest sensations of horror.3 To sell the ones who were sick with the bloody flux,
the captain had the ships surgeon stop the anus of each of them with oakum.3 Oakum is rope,
unbraided so that it is like fringe, and is used to hammer into cracks of the hull of a ship. This
was extremely painful for those with the bloody flux, but it was most likely: be sold or be
slaughtered for many of them.
The Europeans were often thought to be kinder to the slaves as a more civilized people,
more humanity might naturally be expected.3 This may be because the Europeans had a long
established culture of sophistication and needed far fewer slaves than the colonies did in the
Americas. Although Europeans were thought to be kinder they were still the ones selling slaves
into the brutal American system.Slavery had long existed in AfricaYet Africans' enslavement
of other Africans was not nearly as harsh as the treatment of African slaves by Europeans. 6 This
quote does not go on to mention American enslavement, implying there were not many
differences.
Historically this document is overshadowed by Thomas Clarkson and his starting of the
Society for Abolition of the Slave Trade, but Clarkson could have been much less credited
without the help of Alexander Falconbridge. This document played a key role in painting a
graphic picture for the public world of what the slave trade was and how inhumane American
society was becoming for having supported it. In Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the
Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves Clarkson is credited with Clarkson's sixty years of organizing,
6

Theodore L. Sylvester. Gale Cengage 2000 Slavery Throughout History: Primary Sources Ed. eNotes.com, 24 Oct,
2015, http://www.enotes.com/topics/falconbridge-alexander
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lobbying, strategizing, and publishing with justifiable admiration. At the same time, he keeps the
other abolitionists, in proper perspective.7 Falconbridge is rarely mentioned but his work is of
Clarksons most prominent collections, therefore it is justifiable that Falconbridge played a
prominent role in the abolition of slavery.
Alexander Falconbridge and Thomas Clarkson, along with all the abolitionists of the world
were forward thinkers of their time. In 1790 Thomas Clarkson recruited Falconbridge to go out
to Sierra Leone on behalf of the Sierra Leone Company. The main objective of the company was
to establish a colony of free black settlers.1 This colony would appropriately be named
Freetown. With him, Falconbridge would bring his new wife, Anna Maria Horwood. She would
express dire concern over being able to establish such a colony.1 She would keep journals of the
entire journey he was always addicted to drink more than he should; but after this by way of
meliorating his harrowed feelings, he kept himself constantly intoxicated. 8 Writing here about
Alexander Falconbridge nine days after his death due to alcohol consumption. Much of the
legacy he left, and all the positive actions he made against the slave trade were tarnished with
this journal kept by his wife. Nevertheless, Falconbridge was a forward thinking man who had
seen more inhumane brutality to last him the thirty-two years he was alive and working to make
conditions better, not for himself, but for the enslaved people who experienced ungodly
prejudice.

Hochschild, Adam and Brown, Christopher. Review,Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's
Slaves, Journal of Social History, Volume 41, Number 1, Fall 2007, pp. 200-202
8

Falconbridge, Anna Maria. "Narrative of Two Voyages to the River Sierra Leone During the Years 1791-1793." Letter X, The
Second Edition (1794): 58-59. Sierra-Leone.org. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
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Citations
1Simkin,

John. Spartacus Educational. Http://spartacus-educational.com/USASfalconbridge.htm,

1 Sept. 1997. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
2Richard

Frethorne, Letter of an Indentured Servant to his Father and Mother (1623), in

Course Reader: HIS 108: History of the U.S. to 1876, ed. Jane E. Calvert (Dubuque, IA:
McGraw-Hill, 2015), pg. 5-6.
3Alexander

Falconbridge, excerpts from An Account of the Slave Trade (1788), in Course

Reader: HIS 108: History of the U.S. to 1876, ed. Jane E. Calvert (Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill,
2015), pgs. 192-194.
4Falconbridge, Alexander,

and Freeman, Shane. "An Account of the Slave Trade." Learnnc.org.

UNC School of Education, 2007. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
5Clarkson,

Thomas. "Collecting Evidence: The Abolition of Slavery Project." The Abolition of

Slavery Project. East of England Broadband Network, 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
6Theodore

L. Sylvester. Gale, 2000. Slavery Throughout History: Primary Sources Ed.

eNotes.com, 24 Oct, 2015.
7Hochschild, Adam

and Brown, Christopher. Review,Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels

in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves, Journal of Social History, Volume 41, Number 1, Fall
2007, pp. 200-202.
8Falconbridge, Anna

Maria. "Narrative of Two Voyages to the River Sierra Leone During the
Years 1791-1793." Letter X, The Second Edition (1794): 58-59. Sierra-Leone.org. Web. 26 Oct.
2015.

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