National Maritime Museum & Museum of London Docklands

The second day in London, we took a water taxi to Greenwich to visit the National Maritime Museum, the Atlantic gallery: Slavery, Trade, Empire. This gallery is about the transatlantic slave trade from the 17th century to the 19th century and its impact on the economic growth of London. 

John Hawkins was the first English slave trader, and the city of London realized the need for African labor in economic growth. The development of a plantation system (especially for sugar) brought further demand for enslaved Africans, making London the leading port in slave trade. 

Slave trade ships were so tightly packed that enslaved Africans did not have enough room to sit or lie down. They were all shackled together so they did not have much of freedom in movement. Malnutrition and disease killed around 25-30 percent of slaves on each ship, which in turn made slave traders carry more slaves on the ship for a greater profit. Below is a layout of a slave trade ship at the time.

I was almost disgusted at the treatment the enslaved Africans had to go through at the time of slave trade. There were two drawings done by the same artist that drew my attention: one of them was of Africans taking care of British people who were injured and unconscious after stranded on the shore; the other one was of British people abusing and taking advantage of Africans. The artist had an intention to show that Africans are also humans just like the British are and they will help the British when they are in need, so they should treat them like humans, not property. 

After exploring the rest of the museum and Greenwich Market, we took a tube to the Museum of London Docklands. The museum is housed in a warehouse built 200 years ago to store products like sugar and coffee for the transatlantic trade, which brings more sentiment to London's role in the trade.

The exhibition on the slavery trade at the Museum, titled as "London, Sugar and Slavery", was very comprehensive in describing London's involvement in slavery and how it has shaped the capital since the 17th century. I was told that this exhibition is the only permanent gallery in London that brings the city's involvement in transatlantic slave trade and how it formed the city of London today.

The exhibition included a journal by a plantation owner of work and harsh treatment slaves had gone through each day. It made it clear that the slavers were only recording the status of their properties, not human beings. There also were some drawings of slaves being punished for trying to escape plantations, which almost brought me to tears. It was really hard to put myself in slavers' shoes and understand what was going through their mind when abusing slaves.

I appreciated the Museum of London Docklands the most out of the three museums I had a chance to visit so far, because of its effort in challenging the common knowledge of the transatlantic slave trade and its connection with the city of London. The tour guide also mentioned that this museum criticized other museums in London for not presenting the ugly side of London in the past and emphasized the need for a gallery on the topic of slave trade in every museum in London. I hope that the United Kingdom as a whole as well as London will take responsibility in its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and be able to educate the public with the truth one day.