Chapter 1 Summary

Chapter One of Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild follows John Newton’s ascent up the power ladder.  Newton was originally nothing more than a captive, but he managed to become the captain of a slave trading ship.  At first he was very disobedient as he was taken away from his love, but with each advance in power, he was more inclined to follow rules as well as set his own.  He saw every problem as a learning opportunity and through these, he found God as his savior.  Newton knew slave trade would be advantageous to him and make him wealthy so he continued to participate in this industry.  As Captain, he paid close attention to all details of his journey and kept journals of his travels.