In 1781, the tragedy of the Zong Massacre resulted in the death of over 130 slaves. The British slave ship that carried the slaves was called the Zong and was in route to Jamaica from Africa. The captain, Luke Collingwood, overloaded his ship with slaves to increase profit. This resulted many things, which caused the death of many slaves before the actual massacre took place. Whether it be sickness, lack of food, or lack of water, many died which resulted in the captain’s decision to throw a significant number of slaves overboard. This massacre lasted over a period of days and near the end, the slaves themselves were throwing themselves over in an act of defiance. It is argued that there was enough water and resources to provide to the slaves, and there was no reason to throw the slaves overboard.