The slave owners justified their inhuman cruelty by blaming the africans themselves for their enslavement. for example, captain snelgrave argued that slaves ―had forfeited their freedom before i bought them, either by crimes or by being taken in war, according to the custom of their country; and they being now my property, i was resolved to let them feel my resentment, if they abused my kindness. by saying they were rightfully slaves because of their ―crimes in africa, snelgrave blamed the slaves rather than himself for the loss of their freedom. his promise that disobedient slaves would ―feel his anger shows that physical punishment would result from this supposed legality of slavery. it’s true that the captain emphasizes his acts of ―kindness‖ in comparison with other slavers. ９ but snelgrave’s professions of humanity should be taken with a grain of salt. for example, when says the mutineer slaves begged him to ―forgive them, and promising for the future to be obedient . . . if i would not punish them this time, it’s clear that he has punished them before. their child-like request for ―forgiveness comes from their complete and violent deprivation of liberty—not from the slave captain’s humane treatment.in quoting