ABSTRACT
This article focuses on the experiences of the crew and enslaved people aboard two slave ships contracted by the Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie (MCC) in the late eighteenth century on their respective seventh and first journey: the Geertruyda en Christina (GC7) and the Zeemercuur (ZM1). Middle Passages are understudied and underrepresented in historical research, while the experiences of those on board were a profound part of the workings of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery. The GC7 and ZM1 had notably high mortality rates of thirty-six and sixty-four per cent, while the average of all MCC journeys was twenty per cent. This article aims to explore the question of “what happened aboard these ships?” by analyzing qualitative sources such as journals and financial documents of the MCC and other companies involved in the transatlantic slave trade and reading these sources “against the grain” to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of those on board.
