ATLANTIC SLAVERY Introductory class

Today :- develop a comparative understanding of the subject of slavery, and of the importance of Atlantic slavery; :- look at some of the sources and methods historians can use to study the subject. :- and in the final part, compare both oral sources and the trans-Atlantic slave trade database.

Question What do you know as a class about Atlantic slavery at the beginning of the course, and how it is relevant to learning about the history of West Africa?

Atlantic Slavery, History and Historiography A Whiggish history….? Not really… African history and the historiography of slavery – the place of the Abolition discourse Slavery leads to a picture of a barbarised Africa which needs saving through colonialism/conversion/ development We cannot study African history without slavery, but we must be aware of the historical context that implies

Some Distinctive Features of Atlantic Slavery Economic production: many systems of slavery around the world (eg North African, Roman) did not use slaves primarily for profit Racial characteristic: slaves in other world systems were often from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds The exclusionary nature of the institution: Atlantic slavery excluded people on the basis of background; however slavery was often in West Africa a way of incorporating outsiders and expanding a society

A further question… How should we study Atlantic slavery, and why does it matter to West African schoolchildren today?

Sources used: Written Historical Sources Impressionistic, descriptive accounts Economic or legal data including :- Numbers of slaves shipped and types of goods exchanged for :- Ethnic origins of slaves, especially in Spanish America in 16th-17th centuries

Non-quantitative elements for discussing Atlantic slave trade Cultural, social and political consequences Ritual and production consequences Those who died before reaching the coast or in wars fought to procure slaves – by no means the whole story

Best source for economic/legal data www.slavevoyages.org Guide to using the resource here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YwVvIHHCw0

Question Divide into small groups (5 people) – identify positive features and problems with using this type of evidence as a resource

The database www.slavevoyages.org Total estimate 12,221,536 between 1501 and 1866 1501-1600 – 277,506 1601-1700 – 1,875,631 1701-1800 – 6,494,619 1801-1866 – 3,873,580

Other Sources Oral histories Patterns of social organization Analysis of contemporary rituals reflecting hidden histories

Question What can we learn from oral sources, and how might they complement other available sources?

Case Study for Analysis of Atlantic Slavery Toby Green, The Rise of the Trans-Atlantic Salve Trade in Western Africa, 1300-1589 (Cambridge University Press, 2012)

Case Study (1): Region studied, Caboverdean Region, 16th-17th centuries

Case Study (2) Caboverdean region in the Atlantic World, 16th-17th Centuries

Written Sources used (next 2 slides) 1, written accounts of Capeverdean traders from the 16th century 2, summaries of ethnicities of Africans arriving in the New World from the Archivo General de las Indias (Seville)

Case Study (3): Oral sources used from the Oral History Archive, Fajara, The Gambia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu43kh8yZ1s

Summary Discussion What sources do historians use to analyse the history of the Atlantic slave trade? What are the potentials and problems inherent to these sources? What questions should senior secondary school students ask of this history: its relevance today, its problems, and how it should be studied and written about?