It is concise, persuasive, and deliberately neutral about the voyage’s true purpose: the transatlantic slave trade. The Sloop Hope is not an isolated story; it is a clear example of how public print grounded the machinery of the transatlantic slave trade. The term A Lucrative Voyage in the Black Ivory Trade was a common euphemism in 18th-century New England seaports like Providence and Bristol. This grim phrase, found in newspaper advertisements, was code for the transatlantic slave trade. Black Ivory referred to enslaved Africans, commodifying human lives as mere cargo to be traded for profit.