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PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN SLAVE TRADE

Description

"In the mid-seventeenth century, British and American merchants began bringing African captives into Britain's New World colonies to be sold into slavery. One hundred fifty years later, nearly all American ports had harbored, at one time or another, locally owned vessels that were likewise engaged .... Papers of the American Slave Trade ... documents the international traffic in slaves in Britain's New World colonies and the United States, providing access to important material on the business aspect of the commerce in human beings." -- from the Scope and Content note of the Publisher's Guide to the Collection

This collection features selections from the Rhode Island Historical Society (Series A) as follows:

Part 1: Brown Family Collections - documents from one of the first merchant families in Providence, Rhode Island to partake in the slave trade   (see note below)

Part 2: Selected Collections - Papers of slavers, merchants, distillers, and insurers

Microfilm Location and Call Number   Stauffer Library Microforms at E445 .R4

Guide/Index Location and Call Number   Stauffer Library Reference at E445 .R4 Guide ser. A, pt. 001   Note: This guide covers only the Brown Family Collections

Collection Status   Complete (2 sets: 23 of 23 Reels and 30 of 30 reels, totalling 53 reels, plus Guide)

Notes

1. "The Brown family collections date from the early 1700s to the early 1800s. The brothers James and Obadiah Brown, leading merchants of Providence, were among the first molasses and sugar merchants from that city to engage in the African slave trade. The second generation included James' sons, Moses Brown and John Brown.

   "After participating in at least one slaving venture in his youth, Moses Brown became a Quaker and a leader in the movement to outlaw 'that unrighteous traffic'. He was instrumental in the passages of the federal Slave Trade Act of 1794, which prohibited ships destined to transport slaves to any foreign country from outfitting American ports.

   "His brother, John, remained active in the business, advocating expansion of the slave trade while a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. John Brown became the first Rhode Islander tried under the 1794 legislation and suffered the forfeiture of his ship Hope in 1797." -- from the Scope and Content Note in the Publisher's Guide

2. John Brown is of no relation to the militant abolitionist (John Brown, 1800-1859), who advocated and practiced guerrilla warfare as a means to end slavery (and after whom many claim the Civil War Marching Song John Brown's Body - sharing the same tune as The Battle Hymn of the Republic - was named, although this has been disputed by historians).