"Bury the Chains" Chapter 1 Summary

The first chapter of Adam Hochschild's Bury the Chains is about Peter Newton, a British man, born in 1725, whose father was the captain of a ship. The first chapter explains various details of Newton's life, from falling in love with his future wife, Mary Catlett, to being kidnapped by the naval press gang and finally, starting his voyages in the world of the slave trade when he was just 19. Along these voyages, Newton often found himself writing to his wife, searching for any sign of revolt among the slaves on his ships, and praying, to name a few things, while sailing from England, up and down the coast of Africa, in search of slaves, to the West Indies and finally back to England. He had hopes of becoming a wealthy man from his time at sea, buying and selling slaves.