The Slave Trade
Riverside: Books on this topic are overnight loans only at the moment.
Look in the non-fiction section at 326 (Slavery and Abolition).
Online Sources - Slave Trade
The Slave Triangle is one of the earliest examples of a Globalised Economy - it relies on specific products which are imported and exported at each point in the triangle. This is a direct result of increased industrialisation and mass production. You can read a detailed economic account of how the development of European capitalism contributed to slavery at Robin Blackburn's essay for BBC [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/industrialisation_article_01.shtml].
BBC Bitesize [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/industrial_era/the_slave_trade/revision/1/] has an excellent overview of the slave trade and it's long and short-term impact on society. This is a great place to start and includes a test to see if you understood the information.
Bear in mind that life as a slave was not just a long catalogue of humiliation and trauma. As historians it is important to portray African-Americans not only as victims of racist colonial policies, but also as individuals with creative and cultural lives. Despite the extreme hardship faced by most slaves, African American slaves had a vibrant culture with their own social systems, languages, religions, stories, crafts and music, some of which have survived into the twenty-first century. Scroll to the bottom of "Life as a Slave" for more about this.
BBC Bitesize [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/industrial_era/the_slave_trade/revision/1/] has an excellent overview of the slave trade and it's long and short-term impact on society. This is a great place to start and includes a test to see if you understood the information.
Bear in mind that life as a slave was not just a long catalogue of humiliation and trauma. As historians it is important to portray African-Americans not only as victims of racist colonial policies, but also as individuals with creative and cultural lives. Despite the extreme hardship faced by most slaves, African American slaves had a vibrant culture with their own social systems, languages, religions, stories, crafts and music, some of which have survived into the twenty-first century. Scroll to the bottom of "Life as a Slave" for more about this.
Life on a slave Ship
Life on a slave ship was horrific and many slaves died on the way, their bodies simply tossed overboard like rubbish. sometimes this led to rebellions aas slave tried to take over the ships, but as far as I know they were not successful (Tell me if you find out otherwise!).
You can read and account based on real documents here:
Voyage of the Slave Ship Sally [Voyage of the Slave Ship Sally]
Description of an uprising aboard a slave ship [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=472]
An account of the Middle Passage [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=471]
You can read and account based on real documents here:
Voyage of the Slave Ship Sally [Voyage of the Slave Ship Sally]
Description of an uprising aboard a slave ship [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=472]
An account of the Middle Passage [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=471]
Online Sources - Life as a Slave
Most slaves were treated extremely brutally, because of the social attitudes about race and skin colour (see "Atttudes to Aborigines" on the Aboriginals page [http://aghslibraryhome.weebly.com/3-a-aboriginals.html] ).
You can find out more about these attitudes at Digital History: Slavery [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=6&smtID=10] Liverpool Slave Museum [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/slavery/triangle.aspx] has some excellent sources, including stories about four African children sold as slaves [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/slavery/slave-stories/]. These stories will give you an easy-to-read but horrifying overview of life as a slave. They also illustrate some of the different fates that awaited anyone sold as a slave. Life of a Slave Girl (extract from a real account) [https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/473] Twelve Years a Slave (the book the film was based on) [http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/northup/northup.html] Uncle Tom's Cabin (influential novel by an abolitionist) [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/203/203-h/203-h.htm] Impact of slavery on slave families [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=491] Voices from the Days of Slavery [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices/] (interviews which you can read and/or listen to) |
There are many collections of primary sources online, including:
Digital History: Slavery [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=6&smtID=3] (excepts for classroom use)
Documenting the American South: North American Slave Narratives [http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/tgm.html]
Library of congress African American Pamphlet Collection [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/aapcpres01.html]
Quakers and Slavery (Mostly White abotitionists, ran railroads etc) [http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/]
California Underground Railroad [http://digital.lib.csus.edu/cdm/search/collection/curr]
New-York Historical Society, Manuscript Collections Relating to Slavery [http://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p15052coll5]
Lost Friends [http://www.hnoc.org/database/lost-friends/index.html] ( A collection of advertisements by(ex)slaves trying to track down loved ones)
Bear in mind that life as a slave was not just a long catalogue of humiliation and trauma. Despite the extreme hardship faced by many slaves, African American slaves had a vibrant culture with their own languages, religions, arts and music, some of which has survived right into the twenty-first century. Other interesting primary sources include folk songs, artworks and religious artefacts.
Digital History: Slavery [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=6&smtID=6]
Spirituals and the Power of Music in Slave Narratives [http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1926] (lesson plan with great links)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Harriet Powers Quilt [http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/pictorial-quilt-116166]
African American Artists before the Twentieth Century [http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/archive/0706/photo_essay.jsp?page=1]
Uncle Remus [http://www.uncleremus.com/] (famous plantation stories of courage and trickery against overwhelming odds)
For a fuller understanding of the social context of Slavery, look into life in the American South just before the Civil War.
Colonial Williamsburg [http://www.history.org/Almanack/almanack.cfm] (everything from jobs to fashion)
Digital History: Slavery [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=6&smtID=3] (excepts for classroom use)
Documenting the American South: North American Slave Narratives [http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/tgm.html]
Library of congress African American Pamphlet Collection [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/aapcpres01.html]
Quakers and Slavery (Mostly White abotitionists, ran railroads etc) [http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/]
California Underground Railroad [http://digital.lib.csus.edu/cdm/search/collection/curr]
New-York Historical Society, Manuscript Collections Relating to Slavery [http://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p15052coll5]
Lost Friends [http://www.hnoc.org/database/lost-friends/index.html] ( A collection of advertisements by(ex)slaves trying to track down loved ones)
Bear in mind that life as a slave was not just a long catalogue of humiliation and trauma. Despite the extreme hardship faced by many slaves, African American slaves had a vibrant culture with their own languages, religions, arts and music, some of which has survived right into the twenty-first century. Other interesting primary sources include folk songs, artworks and religious artefacts.
Digital History: Slavery [http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=6&smtID=6]
Spirituals and the Power of Music in Slave Narratives [http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1926] (lesson plan with great links)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Harriet Powers Quilt [http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/pictorial-quilt-116166]
African American Artists before the Twentieth Century [http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/archive/0706/photo_essay.jsp?page=1]
Uncle Remus [http://www.uncleremus.com/] (famous plantation stories of courage and trickery against overwhelming odds)
For a fuller understanding of the social context of Slavery, look into life in the American South just before the Civil War.
Colonial Williamsburg [http://www.history.org/Almanack/almanack.cfm] (everything from jobs to fashion)