Research

Going in

      Instead of aiming to document every voyage, every slave, and compile their history, this project aims to explain the concentrations of slaves around the "New World". From there, conclusions can be drawn about their impact on culture, economics, politics, and society. While many are very aware of the historical implications of slavery, and the numerous amendments, clauses, and bills passed to accommodate and perpetuate the continuation of it in America, not many are aware of its prevalence in Central and South America.

      The spark of interest that led to this is a discussion that took place in a different class about the origin of racism. While it was a lofty ideal that racism should be over by now, it was generally agreed upon by the professor and multiple students (myself included) that American racism intensified with the gradual increase of slavery. The justification for the enslavement of the black population was that they were inferior and were meant to be entrapped and forced to work. Obviously, we know in the present day that this couldn't be further from the truth. However, that discussion bore fruit to an onslaught of questions, three of which resulted in this project. Could one truly pinpoint the apex of slavery and the greatest enabler of it? And did this enabler only deal in North America? Did slavery have a lasting cultural impact anywhere else?

      To answer those questions, one must turn to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Voyage Database. It is the largest existing compilation of shipping manifests during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, and is sourced from the national archives of the many countries that were involved, most notably of which are Portugal and the United Kingdom. With these manifests, we can gather data that will answer our three questions.

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