Research on slavery in the Americas has been hailed as “one of the greatest historical endeavours of modern times.” This module looks in detail at the development of slavery in North America from settlement to emancipation. It covers a wide range of topics. We will start before the first Europeans and Africans travelled (many forcibly) to the Americas and analyse the international “origins” of racism and debates regarding the rise of the Atlantic slave trade. We will look at slavery in Africa and discuss the motivations and reasons for the enslavement of Africans and the development of the Atlantic slave trade. We will move on to critically examine the transition from white to black labour the development of slave labour systems in the colonial period. From settlement though the colonial, revolutionary, and antebellum periods, and during two wars, we will attempt to understand the lives of enslaved people and assess the impact that slavery had on the development of American society, culture, and the economy. We will cover topics such as; enslaved people’s family, community and culture; violence, punishment and resistance; labour activities; health, well-being and disability; plantation management and overseers; enslaved women, “plantation mistresses,” female enslavers, and other free women; the lives and position of “free people of colour” (“Free Blacks”); the economies of slavery and the rise of capitalism; pro-slavery arguments and abolitionism; the Civil War and the end of slavery. In sum, we will review the effect of slavery on the enslaved and the free and, more broadly, on the social, cultural and economic development of North America. Finally, at the end of the module we think about and the memory of slavery and the Civil War, post-emancipation and during the 20th century. And we will reflect on the current situation regarding race relations in North America and globally.
Content Warning: Historical resources referred to in this module and the materials on Canvas reflect the racial prejudices of the era in which they were created, and some items include language and imagery which is offensive, oppressive and may cause upset. This is not condoned by The University of Liverpool, but we are committed to providing access to this material as evidence of the inequalities and attitudes of the time period.