Check Out this Fascinating Resource

They came on ships with hopeful names like the Speedwell, or inspiring ones like the Industry or the True Blue. Ships named after loved ones like the Poly, the Charming Betty, or Thomas. Ones that gave an idea of the geographical focus like the Potowmac Merchant. The human cargo was picked up on the Windward Coast, Gambia, Bight of Benin or the Bight of Biafra. Sometimes at specific locations like Iles de Los or Anomaba. This all comes from an amazing database that is a collection of information about the slave trade in the Americas, place of purchase, name of ships and captains and owners, location where the ships were registered, scholarly articles, and a time-lapse graphic showing the where and when of the ships involved both in the trans-Atlantic and the intra-American trade. It’s worth looking over, and it’s something we will be using during our course this summer – Headstones and History: Black Lives Matter(ed). Check out our website if you are interested in history and in original research.