Bury the Chains: Chapter 1 (summary)

In chapter 1 of Bury the Chains, Hochschild uses the story of a British slave ship captain named John Newton as a historical vehicle to portray the life of a slaver during the Eighteenth century. Using Newton's life and experiences as examples, Hochschild draws several conclusions on what the dreams and aspirations of a slave ship captain were during the time period. According to Hochschild, sailors like Newton dreamt of winning their fortunes, becoming entrepreneurs, living a life of wealth, independence and excitement, and of eventually having their wealth lead them down the path to respectability. Hochschild also draws on Newton's faith in God to make an interesting point on society at the time. While Newton had attributed much of his success in life to God speaking to him at key moments, Hochschild points out that for a very long time Newton never heard God say anything to him against slavery.