Slavery and the Early Modern Atlantic World, 1444-1808
Heidi S. Giusto
Office Hours: M-W-F: 12:30-2:00 and by appointment
Office: Carr 204
Phone: 555-5555
Email: hsg3@duke.edu
Fall Semester 2006
HIST 100
M W F: 11-11:50
Carr 120
Course Description:
In Slavery and the Early Modern Atlantic World, 1444-1808, we will explore the various
experiences of participants in the world’s largest forced migration to date, the Atlantic
Slave Trade. Understanding the development, proliferation, and demise of racial slavery
in the Americas is fundamental to comprehending the connected histories of the
Americas, Europe and Africa. The trade of human beings, and the products which their
labor produced, linked three continents and hundreds of islands for over three hundred
years. In addition to examining the slave trade and its participants, we will come to
understand a rudimentary history of the Early Modern Atlantic World, from the discovery
of the Americas to the abolition of the British slave trade in 1808.
We will learn about Atlantic history and slavery through the experiences of those who
lived it and through legal records. We will analyze slave narratives, instructions to slave
ship captains, accounts of ship captains, various plantation journals, manumission
records, and diaries, among other sources. This course will rely heavily on primary
sources; through such use of original accounts, you will learn to evaluate historical
documents. Lectures and secondary readings will address multiple European countries
implicated during this period, but all primary documents that we examine will be in
English.
Textbook requirements:
Books are available at the university bookstore. Other required readings will be available
through E-Reserve.
Richard S. Dunn, Sugar & Slaves: The Rise of the Planter Class in the English West
Indies, 1624-1713, (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2000).
Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings, (New York: Penguin
Books, 2003).
Jan Rogozinski, A Brief History of the Caribbean: From the Arawak and Carib to the
Present, (New York: Plume, 2000).
Thornton, John, Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800,
Second Edition, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998).
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Prerequisites: None
Learning Objectives:
1. Broaden knowledge of Atlantic World history, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the many
experiences of historical actors.
2. Have an advanced understanding of the relationship between the European empires,
African states and kingdoms, and the American colonies, in regards to trade, settlement,
politics, and economics.
3. Improve writing skills by evaluating historical arguments and perspectives and
analyzing them.
4. Learn how to interpret and question primary sources.
5. Gain awareness of current historical debates surrounding this period.
Weekly Agenda: ALL readings are to be completed for the MONDAY class session of
every week. Please bring any primary documents that are included in the readings to
class for the week they correspond to.
PART I: Background Information: Factors that Sparked the Atlantic
Slave Trade
Week 1 (Aug 28, Aug 30, Sept 1)
Introducing the Course: The Atlantic World—What it is and Why its Important!;
Europe’s Age of Exploration
(Reading: Michael F. Jiménez and Marcus Rediker, "What is Atlantic History?" CPAS
Newsletter: The University of Tokyo Center for Pacific and Asian Studies (October
2001), Peter Kolchin, “Slaveries in the Atlantic World Introduction: Variations of
Slavery in the Atlantic World,” The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 59, Issue 3; April
Lee Hatfield, “A ‘very wary people in the bargaining’ or ‘very good merchandise’:
English Traders’ Views of Free and Enslaved Africans, 1550-1650,” Slavery and
Abolition, Vol. 25, No 3., December 2004. PLEASE NOTE: I WILL HAND OUT
THESE ARTICLES THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS; YOU ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE
READ THEM BY THE SECOND CLASS MEETING—COMBINED THEY ARE
ABOUT 25 PAGES IN LENGTH.
Week 2 (Sept. 4, Sept 6, Sept 8)
Age of Explorations: Spain’s Gamble and Initial Encounters with Indigenous
Populations
(Reading: Jan Rogozinski, A Brief History of the Caribbean, Preface, Chapters 1 & 2—
“The Enduring Environment and the First Islanders” and “Discovery of the Islands;”
selections from The Journal of Christopher Columbus, available on Blackboard)
Week 3 (Sept 11, Sept 13, Sept 15)
Establishment of European Enclaves in the Americas and the Desire for Forced
Labor
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(Reading: Rogozinski, Chapters 3 & 4—“Pirates Fight for Spanish Gold” and “Spain’s
Caribbean Colonies;” selections from Bartolomé de Las Casas, Destruction of the Indies
and Miguel Leon-Portilla, The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of
Mexico, available on Blackboard)
Week 4 (Sept 18, Sept 20, Sept 22)
The Entrenchment of a Planter Class
(Reading: Dunn, Chapter 2—“Barbados: The Rise of the Planter Class,” Chapter 3—
“Barbados: The Planters in Power,” Chapter 5: “Jamaica;” selections from
Mrs. Smith Diary, 1793, and legislative slave laws, available on Blackboard)
PART II: Mutual Partners? African and European Participation in the
Slave Trade
Week 5 (Sept 25, Sept 27, Sept 29) (First exam is on Sept 29)
Africa’s Voluntary Participation in the Slave Trade
(Reading: John Thornton, Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World,
Introduction, Chapters 1 & 2—“The Birth of an Atlantic World” and “The Development
of Commerce Between Europeans and Africans;” Olaudah Equiano, Interesting
Narrative, Chapter 1)
Week 6 (Oct 2, Oct 4, Oct 6) (First Paper due at the start of class Oct. 6)
Africa’s Voluntary Participation in the Slave Trade
(Reading: Thornton, Chapters 3 & 4—“Slavery and African Social Structure” and “The
Process of Enslavement and the Slave Trade;” Equiano, Chapter 2; selections from Cyril
Daryll Forde, Efik Traders of Old Calabar, available on Blackboard)
Week 7 (Oct 11, Oct 13 [Fall Break Oct 9])
Experiences of a Slave Ship
(Reading: selections from Bruce L. Mouser, ed., A Slaving Voyage to African and
Jamaica; James Rawley, “The Middle Passage,” from The Transatlantic Slave Trade;
select instructions from Humphrey Morice to slave ship captains; select
images/illustrations of slave ships; all available on Blackboard)
Week 8 (Oct 16, Oct 18, Oct 20)
Atlantic Creoles
(Reading: Randy J. Sparks, “Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery
to Freedom,” William and Mary Quarterly 59:3 (July 2002); Michael J. Jarvis, “Maritime
Masters and Seafaring Slaves in Bermuda, 1680-1783,” William and Mary Quarterly
59:3 (July 2002); Ira Berlin, “Time, Space, and the Evolution of Afro-American Society
on British Mainland North America,” all available on Blackboard)
PART III: Employing Forced Workers: Experiences of the Enslaved
Week 9 (Oct 23, Oct 25, Oct 27)
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Diverse Experiences of the Enslaved
(Reading: Equiano, Chapters 3-11; Carretta, “Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa? New
Light on an Eighteenth Century Question of Identity,” Slavery and Abolition 20 (1999))
Week 10 (Oct 30, Nov 1, Nov 3) (Second exam is on Nov 3)
Agricultural Economics: More Experiences of the Enslaved
(Reading: selections from Verene A. Shepherd, ed., Slavery Without Sugar: Diversity in
Caribbean Economy and Society Since the 17th Century (Gainesville: University of
Florida Press, 2002), available on Blackboard) Need primary sources here
Week 11 (Nov 6, Nov 10, Nov 12)
Agricultural Economics: More Experiences of the Enslaved
(Reading: selections from Verene A. Shepherd, ed., Slavery Without Sugar: Diversity in
Caribbean Economy and Society Since the 17th Century (Gainesville: University of
Florida Press, 2002), available on Blackboard) Need primary sources here
Week 12 (Nov 13, Nov 15, Nov 17)
“The Same As When A Slave:” Experiences of Manumitted or Escaped Slaves
(Reading: selections from David Barry Gaspar and Darlene Clark Hine, eds., Beyond
Bondage: Free Women of Color in the Americas, available on Blackboard)
Part IV: Legacies of Masters & Efforts to End the British Slave Trade
Week 13 (Nov 20, [Thanksgiving Break Nov 22-26])
(Reading: Dunn, Chapter 8—“Life in the Tropics,” Chapter 9—“Death in the Tropics”)
Need primary sources here
Week 14 (Nov 27, Nov 29, Dec 1)
(Reading: Selections of plantation records, wills, and correspondences, available on
Blackboard)
Week 15 (Dec 4, Dec 6, Dec 8) (Second Paper due at the start of class Dec. 4)
Abolition of the British Slave Trade and Anti-slave trade propaganda
(Reading: Rogozinski, Chapter 13—Abolition in the British Colonies; Equiano, Chapter
12; Carretta, Chapter 11—“Turning Against the Slave Trade,” Carretta available on BB;
selections from William Smith Papers, 1785-1860, available on BB)
FINAL EXAM: December 17th, 11am-12pm in Carr 120
Learning Activities:
Below is a list of your learning activities, and a brief description of each exercise. I will
discuss each assignment as it approaches and provide proper guidance for successful
completion of each assignment.
1. Quizzes and Participation – 15%
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There will be six short (five question) in-class quizzes to evaluate your
comprehension of the reading and geographic areas we are studying. I
will provide you with any maps you will need to master prior to each quiz.
A missed quiz cannot be made up
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2. Three exams – 15%, 15%, 25% (The last exam is the final.)
Exams will consist of short identification questions (these will answer the
“who, what, when, where,” and, most importantly, the significance of a
particular term) and a longer essay. You will have a choice of essay
questions.
3. First Essay– 10%
You will rely on “The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A Database on CDROM,” by David Eltis, on reserve at the library, to write an essay. I will
provide you with more information about this assignment in class.
4. Final Essay – 20%
You will rely on primary documents for this writing assignment. This
essay should demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the material,
themes, and historical period we studied throughout the semester. It
should also exhibit improved writing and analytical skills and an
understanding of the historical actors reflected in the primary documents.
A letter grade will be deducted for each day an assignment is late, up to three days.
Assignments more than three days late will be given an F.
If you must miss an exam please notify me at least 24 hours in advance and also provide
a documented reason for the absence.
Grading Scale:
A+ 97-100
A 93-96
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+
C
CD
D
DF
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
Below 60
Attendance and Participation:
Attendance and participation are REQUIRED and are weighed in your final grade.
Assigned reading is designed to supplement lecture material and therefore class
attendance is imperative. If you must miss class, please notify me at least 24 hours in
advance. Excused absences include family emergences, religious holidays, and illness
with doctor’s note.
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University Policies:
I am fully committed to University policies that serve to enrich our classroom
environment. Therefore, I respect the observation of religious holidays. I uphold
university guidelines that forbid discrimination and harassment based on sexual
orientation, race, gender, or religious affiliation. I offer assistance to those students who
may need extra accommodations due to physical handicap or visual or hearing
impairment. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact me with any assistance
they may require.
Academic Integrity:
Please review the Academic Integrity Council’s website,
http://www.integrity.duke.edu/ugrad/index.html, as it is your responsibility to be aware of
university policies.
Plagiarism:
You are responsible for understanding what constitutes plagiarism. Duke University
defines plagiarism as, “Expropriation of words, phrases, or ideas of another without
attribution for the benefit of one who engages in the act of expropriation.” Examples of
plagiarism include: copying from published or electronic sources without proper
citations, paraphrasing someone else’s work without proper citations, and buying and
using a paper that is already written. For a more detailed explanation of plagiarism and
its consequences, please consult Duke University’s website:
http://www.lib.duke.edu/reference/virtual/plagiarism.htm.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Violators will be dealt with according to
university protocol outlined on the website.
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