LibGuides: Library Resources: History: Slavery and Slave Rebellion in the Atlantic World

Search Term Suggestions

This list offers general subject headings to start your searches and demonstrates how LCHS headings are structured.

Antislavery movements -- Great Britain -- History

Antislavery movements -- United States
Antislavery movements -- United States -- History -- 19th century

Families, Black -- Jamaica -- History
Haiti -- History -- Revolution, 1791-1804
Maroons -- Haiti -- Ethnic identity
Plantation life -- United States -- History
Slavery -- History
Slavery -- Law and legislation -- United States
Slavery -- Political aspects -- United States -- History -- 19th century

Slavery -- United States -- Condition of slaves
Slavery -- United States -- Controversial literature

Slavery -- United States -- History
Slavery -- United States -- Insurrections, etc.
Slaves -- Emancipation -- United States
Slaves -- United States -- Social conditions
Slave-trade -- United States
Social movements -- Haiti -- History

Examples of common terms you can use in combination with other search terms include:

Abolition
African American
Emancipation
Fugitive slaves
Anti-slavery movements
Punishment
Rebellion
Resistance
Race relations

You can narrow by geographic locations. For example, you can use the following:

Haiti (Example: Slavery -- Haiti -- History)
Louisiana ( Example: Slavery -- Louisiana -- New Orleans -- History)
Jamaica (Example: Plantation life -- Jamaica -- History)

It is also possible to narrow your search by period.

18th Century
19th Century
Colonial Period

Digital Exhibits and Projects

This list is a sampling of available online resources, websites, projects, and exhibits.

Books

Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro–Latin American Biography: Access the entries through the Oxford Reference Center.

The Occupation of Havana: War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World by Elena A. Schneider
Call Number: F1781 .S45 2018
Publication Date: 2018
New England Bound: Slavery and Colonization in Early America by Wendy Warren
Call Number: E446 .W26 2016
Publication Date: 2016
Encyclopedia of American social movements

General Databases

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. This database offers indexing and abstracts of more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features content going back as far as 1887.
African American Experience This link opens in a new window
This database is a cross-searchable collection of African-American history and culture. It covers the arts, biography, business, civil rights, education, folklore, history, literature, music, politics, pop culture, science, slavery, sports, and technology.
This collection includes the African-American Greenwood encyclopedias, other references books, and 67 Negro University Press texts from the late 1700s to the early 1970s. Primary sources include 4,000 interviews with former slaves (the WPA slave narratives), as well as manuscripts, speeches, court cases, quotations, advertisements, and statistics. Special features include a timeline dating from the 1400s to the present, In their Own Voices audio clips of slave interviews and music, lesson plans, and hundreds of photographs, maps and images.
Caribbean Search This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Caribbean Search is a multidisciplinary database that provides a comprehensive guide to English-language articles pertinent to the countries and people of the Caribbean region. The collection contains over 730 Caribbean focused scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, reports and reference books making this the largest collection of full text content available to academic, school and public libraries in the region. This database is updated weekly on EBSCOhost.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR provides access to more than 10 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. Also houses a growing collection of Open Access e-books and e-journals.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Reference Center includes access to the Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro–Latin American Biography.

Primary Sources (Xavier subscription)

African American Poetry 1760-1900 This link opens in a new window
Includes the full text of almost 3000 poems written by African-American poets in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. African-American Poetry is a resource for literary scholars and for researchers in black studies, linguistics, women's studies, black literary heritage, and comparative studies. The poetry explores a multitude of topics, including abolition, children, civil rights, dreams, education, fugitive slave law, Indian raids, liberty, political issues, prejudice, and slavery. The variety of poem types is equally broad. The database includes allegories, broadsides, children's poems, elegiac poems, epics, hymns, odes, patriotic poems, and sonnets. The poets are among those included in the William French et al. bibliography, Afro-American Poetry and Drama, 1760-1975. The full-text of the poems is included and is fully searchable.
African-American Poetry is a resource for literary scholars and for researchers in black studies, linguistics, women's studies, black literary heritage, and comparative studies. The poetry explores a multitude of topics, including abolition, children, civil rights, dreams, education, fugitive slave law, Indian raids, liberty, political issues, prejudice, and slavery.
American History, 1493-1945 This link opens in a new window
This unique collection of documents brings to life American History from the times of the earliest settlers until the end of World War II. It is sourced from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the finest archives available for the study of American history. Its quantity and quality offers a wonderful overview of American history alongside some deep research strands. It is divided into two modules: Module 1 Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 and Module 2 Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
This database includes:
Over 136,000 titles (155,000 volumes)
Includes books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides and more
Based on the English Short Title Catalogue
Works published in the UK during the 18th century plus thousands from elsewhere
Primarily in English - also includes other languages, provided by Gale publishing
Empire Online This link opens in a new window
This collection explores colonial history, politics, culture and society. Material in the collection spans five centuries, charting the story of the rise and fall of empires; from the explorations of Columbus, Captain Cook, and others, right through to de-colonisation in the second half of the twentieth century and debates over American Imperialism. This resource brings together manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of 'Empire' and its theories, practices and consequences.
Material in Empire Online has been sourced from a wide range of reputable institutions, with a particularly strong core of documents and images from the British Library.
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750 This link opens in a new window
1493-1750; no full-text
This new bibliographic database is a valuable index for libraries, scholars and individuals interested in European works that relate to the Americas. “European Americana: A Chronological Guide to Works Printed In Europe Relating to The Americas, 1493-1750,” the authoritative bibliography that is well-known and respected by scholars worldwide. The database contains more than 32,000 entries and is a comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
HeinOnline is a premier online database containing more than 150 million pages and 200,000 titles of legal history and government documents in a fully searchable, image-based format. HeinOnline bridges the gap in historical research by providing comprehensive coverage from inception of more than 2,500 law-related periodicals. In addition to its vast collection of law journals, HeinOnline contains the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, classic treatises, international trade, foreign relations, U.S. Presidents, and much more. Ohio State Package and also the Fastcase Trial Collections END 11/30/20
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
From 1800s-1990s; full-text essays & introductions; downloadable data
This database provides quantitative data on population, work & welfare, economic structure & performance, economic sectors, and governance & international relations. It covers social, behavioral, humanistic, and natural sciences including history, economics, government, finance, sociology, demography, education, law, natural resources, climate, religion, international migration, and trade. It permits users to search and download data as well as create customized tables, spreadsheets and graphs.
Slavery & Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive This link opens in a new window
Access to part I: Debates over Slavery and Abolition, part II: Slave Trade in the Atlantic World, part III: The Institution of Slavery, and part IV: The Age of Emancipation. Slavery and Anti-Slavery includes collections on the transatlantic slave trade, the global movement for the abolition of slavery, the legal, personal, and economic aspects of the slavery system, and the dynamics of emancipation in the U.S. as well as in Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions.
This database contains:
5.4 million cross-searchable pages: 12049 books, 170 serials, 71 manuscript collections, 377 supreme court records and briefs and 194 reference articles from Macmillan, Charles Scribner's Sons and Gale encyclopedias.
Links to websites, biographies, chronology, bibliographies, and information on key collections, to give users background and context for further research.
Collections published through partnerships with the Amistad Research Center, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the British Library, the National Archives in Kew, Oberlin College, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and many other institutions.

Primary Sources - Image Databases

Slavery Images

Newspapers, Magazines, and Other Periodicals

American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection (1684-1912) COMPLETE COLLECTION This link opens in a new window
The fifty thematic subsets from AAS Historical Periodicals include digitized images of the pages of American magazines and journals not available from any other source and provide rich content detailing American history and culture from the mid-18th century through the late-19th century. These specialized collections cover advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry and professions, religious issues, culture and the arts, and more. Ebsco provides digital access.
1. Advertising Periodicals, 1815-1888
2. Agricultural Periodicals from the Northeastern US, 1789-1879
3. Agricultural Periodicals from the Southern, Midwestern, and Western US, 1800-1878
4. Alternative Faith and Philosophy Periodicals, 1789-1878
5. Alternative Medicine and Health Periodicals, 1810-1877
6. American Civil War Periodicals, 1855-1868
7. American Literary Periodicals, 1782-1834
8. American Literary Periodicals, 1835-1858
9. American Literary Periodicals, 1859-1891
10. American Medicine, Surgery, Dentistry Periodicals, 1786-1877
11. American Political and Social Movements Periodicals, 1815-1884
12. American Political Periodicals, 1715-1891
13. Baptists, Quakers, and Independent Church Periodicals, 1797-1881
14. Business and General Education Periodicals, 1800-1885
15. Business, Industrial and Professional Periodicals, 1774-1858
16. Business, Industrial and Professional Periodicals, 1859-1870
17. Business, Industrial and Professional Periodicals, 1871-1901
18. Canadian Periodicals, 1790-1877
19. Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopal Periodicals, 1797-1904
20. College and Student Periodicals, 1806-1877
21. Commercial Periodicals from the Southern US, 1811-1877
22. Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed Church Periodicals, 1803-1902
23. Cultural Periodicals from the Southern US, 1797-1877
24. Current Events and History Periodicals, 1691-1912
25. Drama, Humor, and Fine Arts Periodicals, 1764-1877
26. Emerging American Religions, 1821-1895
27. Fireside Companions and Family Literature Periodicals, 1805-1877
28. Foreign Language Periodicals in America, 1684-1904
29. General Interest Christian Periodicals, 1743-1889
30. Hobbies, Socialization, and Sport Periodicals, 1775-1889
31. Literary Periodicals of New England, 1789-1878
32. Masons, Odd-Fellows and Other Societal Periodicals, 1794-1877
33. Military and Law Enforcement Periodicals, 1691-1877
34. Missionary and Charity Periodicals, 1793-1902
35. Musical Periodicals, 1781-1879
36. Periodicals from Around the World, 1691-1880
37. Periodicals of the American West, 1779-1881
38. Periodicals of the British Empire and Its Colonies, 1702-1879
39. Popular Educational Periodicals, 1758-1889
40. Religious Periodicals for Women, Children, and Families, 1804-1878
41. Religious Periodicals from the Southern US, 1801-1904
42. Scientific Periodicals, 1771-1901
43. Slavery and Abolition, 1789-1887
44. Story Papers, Dimes and Dollar Periodicals, 1828-1877
45. Sunday School Periodicals, 1818-1885
46. Temperance Periodicals in America, 1826-1877
47. Theology and Biblical Studies Periodicals, 1760-1877
48. Women’s Periodicals of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century, 1733-1844
49. Women’s Periodicals of the Nineteenth Century, 1845-1865
50. Women’s Periodicals of the Nineteenth Century, 1866-1891
Chronicling America: Historical American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
Mirror Historical Archive, 1903-2000 This link opens in a new window
Provides full text searchable scans of the complete run of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror from 1903-2000.
The Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Full text access to issues published from 1785-2014. Since its first publication in 1785, The Times (London) has become one of the most preeminent, global daily (except Sundays) newspapers of the 18th century through the early 21st century, covering international events, people, places, politics, business news, opinion and debate, entertainment, and advertising.

Freely Available Online Databases and Portals

Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Equality
This website is focused on Black Freedom, featuring select primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history.
Yale Slavery and Abolition Portal
Site designed to help researchers and students find primary sources related to slavery, abolition, and resistance within Yale University’s many libraries and galleries. Select a repository from the list on the right to browse by location or use the search function to sort collections by topic. Consult the research and links pages for information about how to find additional source material. Database also links to external sources.

Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade This link opens in a new window
Enslaved.org’s primary focus is people—individuals who were enslaved, owned slaves, or participated in slave trading. The project is an interconnected system of services and tools that (1) Allows individuals involved in the slave trade to be identified and recognized across all participating project databases; (2) Allows those identified and recognized individuals to be searched, explored and visualized in the Enslaved.org Hub; (3) Connects those individuals to particular events and places with a Disambiguation Tool in Enslaved.org; and (4) Creates at least 25 interactive biographies of people of the slave trade as exemplary models.

Slavery and Slave Trade - John Carter Brown Library

Legacies of British Slave Ownership

Traces the impact of slave-ownership on the formation of modern Britain and the significance of British Caribbean slave-ownership 1763-1833.

Slave Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database

The SlaveVoyages website is a collaborative digital initiative that compiles and makes publicly accessible records of the largest slave trades in history. Search these records to learn about the broad origins and forced relocations of more than 12 million African people who were sent across the Atlantic in slave ships, and hundreds of thousands more who were trafficked within the Americas. Explore where they were taken, the numerous rebellions that occurred, the horrific loss of life during the voyages, the identities and nationalities of the perpetrators, and much more.

University of Michigan Clements Library - Digitized archival collections related to the slave trade in the West Indies

“The West Indies,” The Quarto No. 36 (Fall-Winter 2011).

The Amistad Trials - a website containing primary sources

Louisiana Digital Library - Primary Source Collections from LSU

Louisiana Digital Library - Digitized Primary Sources

South Carolina Digital Library - Digitized Primary Sources