Slave Voyages database tutorial

Summary

This tutorial introduces students to the Slave Voyages database, a comprehensive resource documenting the transatlantic slave trade. It guides users through the database's features, including the Estimates view for understanding the scale of the trade and the Database view for detailed voyage records. The video demonstrates how to search for specific voyages, such as the tragic journey of the Zong in 1781, and provides historical context. It also encourages exploration of additional resources for a deeper understanding of the slave trade's impact.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The Slave Voyages database is an online resource that compiles extensive research on the transatlantic slave trade.
• 📊 The 'Estimates' view of the database provides an overview of the scale of the slave trade from 1501 to 1866, showing the number of enslaved people transported and their destinations.
• 📖 The tutorial emphasizes the importance of understanding the 'slave triad' and the horrific conditions, known as the 'middle passage,' that Africans endured during their forced journey.
• 🔍 Users can filter data by variables such as embarkation and disembarkation regions, time frames, and the nationality of the slave ships.
• 📉 The database highlights the disparity between the number of people who embarked and those who disembarked, indicating the high mortality rates during the voyages.
• 🗺️ The 'Maps' view offers a visual representation of the migration patterns from Africa to different parts of the world.
• 📅 The 'Timeline' tab presents data in a chronological format, with key events in the history of the slave trade providing context for the data.
• 🔑 Detailed records in the database include specific information about individual slave voyages, such as ship names, captains, itineraries, and mortality rates.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The tutorial guides users on how to use the database to answer historical questions, akin to detective work, by searching for specific voyages and analyzing the data.
• 💡 The script encourages students to explore the database beyond the tutorial to gain a deeper understanding of the transatlantic slave trade and related topics like the intra-American slave trade.

Q & A

What is the Slave Voyages database and what does it document?

The Slave Voyages database is an online research tool that documents the transatlantic slave trade, providing detailed information about the voyages, including the number of enslaved people, the countries involved, and the conditions during the middle passage.

How does the 3D rendering of the slave ship La Ror contribute to understanding the slave trade?

The 3D rendering of the slave ship La Ror offers a visual and tangible representation of the conditions aboard slave ships, helping users to better comprehend the horrors that millions of Africans endured during the middle passage.

What can users learn from the 'Estimates' view in the Slave Voyages database?

The 'Estimates' view provides an overview of the slave trade by showing the number of enslaved people brought aboard slave ships from 1501 to 1866, the countries they were taken to, and allows users to analyze data by regions and time periods.

How can users drill down into specific regions within the database?

Users can drill down into specific regions by using the 'embarkation region' and 'disembarkation regions' filters, which allow them to explore the data for different parts of Africa and the destinations of the enslaved people.

What does the difference between the number of people who embarked and those who disembarked indicate?

The difference between the number of people who embarked (left Africa) and those who disembarked (arrived at their destination) indicates the number of people who died during the voyage due to the harsh conditions and treatment aboard the slave ships.

How can the timeline feature in the database help users understand trends in the slave trade?

The timeline feature visualizes the numerical data as a chart, allowing users to see trends over time and relate them to key historical events that may have influenced the demand for enslaved labor.

What is the significance of the 'Maps' view in the Slave Voyages database?

The 'Maps' view provides a geographical representation of the data, showing the scale of migration from parts of Africa to other parts of the world, which can help users visualize the scope of the slave trade.

How can users search for specific voyages in the database?

Users can search for specific voyages using various criteria such as the year range, ship name, itinerary, captain's name, and more, by utilizing the drop-down menus and search filters provided in the database.

What kind of detailed information is available for each individual slave voyage in the database?

Each individual slave voyage record contains detailed information such as the ship's name, owner, captain, voyage start and end dates, purchase and sale locations, the length of the middle passage, ship details, and references to original sources.

How does the database help users understand the impact of specific historical events on the slave trade?

The database allows users to correlate the data with key historical events, such as changes in sugar exports from the Caribbean, to understand how these events influenced the demand for enslaved labor and the overall slave trade.