Copperplate engraving from J.L Bertuch's \Bilderbuch fur Kinder\" around 1810-1820, which described for children some of the horrors of slavery in Surinam (itself copied from engravings by William Blake in G. Stedman's \"Narrative\" 1796). The accompanying text is also in this collection. Darwin came from a family lineage with a long interest in the abolition of slavery and was appalled by the treatment of slaves during his visit to South America on the Beagle. \"It makes one's blood boil, yet heart tremble\" he wrote. A particular instances of a slave cowering when he held up his hand had a life-long impact on him. Adrian Desmond and James Moore (2009, 'Darwin's Sacred Cause')have made the case that Darwin's interest in the common descent of man was tied to his belief that this understanding would foster humanitarian treatment of all men as brothers."