Benito Cereno

Content Warning: This section discusses racism and the history of slavery in the Americas.

Benito Cereno unfolds against the backdrop of slavery in the Americas. Though the story is set in 1799, Herman Melville wrote the novella in 1855, just six years before the beginning of the US Civil War; while various issues contributed to the tensions, slavery was at the heart of the conflict. Slavery as practiced in the Americas took root during the European colonization of the continents. From 1526 to 1867, approximately 12.5 million people—men, women, and children—were seized from Africa. The journey from Africa to the Americas, referred to as the Middle Passage, could take several months and was marked by deplorable conditions. Ships faced the perils of epidemics, pirate attacks, and adverse weather. Enslaved passengers were typically kept shackled to each other belowdecks, enduring harsh and inhumane conditions. All told, roughly 10.7 million Africans arrived in the Americas. The majority, over 90%, were transported to the Caribbean and South America, with some 6% directed to British North America (Mintz, Steven. “Historical Context: Facts about the Slave Trade and Slavery.” Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History).

Melville’s Benito Cereno does not portray the Middle Passage, rather focusing on the trade of enslaved persons between South American countries.