Trade Book of the Sloop Rhode Island
Philip Livingston, David Lindsey, and Peter James, Trade Book of the Sloop Rhode Island, December 1749–July 1749. The New York Historical Library.
Document Text |
Summary |
| The Wants And Leakage of 61 hogsheads of Rum Belonging To The Sloop Rhode Island Cargo In Inches & gallons . . . | An account of the rum lost during the voyage of the sloop Rhode Island measured in inches and gallons. . . |
Philip Livingston, David Lindsey, and Peter James, Trade Book of the Sloop Rhode Island, December 1749–July 1749. The New York Historical Library.
Document Text |
Summary |
| An Account of what Slaves died on the Coast and upon the Passage from Guinea to New York and when died on Board the Sloop Rhode Island – 1749. . . . | An account of the enslaved people who died during the voyage of the sloop Rhode Island in 1749. |
Philip Livingston, David Lindsey, and Peter James, Trade Book of the Sloop Rhode Island, December 1749–July 1749. The New York Historical Library.
Background
The slave trade was a booming business in the English colonies. The New York colony alone imported approximately 6,800–7,400 enslaved African people between 1700 and 1774. This was just a fraction of the over three million enslaved people brought to the Americas between 1500 and 1800.
In the early years of British rule, New York merchants bought enslaved people from Caribbean plantations. But after uprisings in 1712 and 1741, merchants began to go directly to Africa. They believed that enslaved people from Africa were less likely to plot and rebel.
About the Documents
In 1748 and 1749 New York merchant and political leader Philip Livingston commissioned Captain Peter James to take his sloop the Rhode Island along the coast of Africa. James was instructed to sell goods from North America and buy European and African goods, including enslaved people.
The Trade Book of the Sloop Rhode Island is an account of the transactions James made along the African coast. It records goods bought and sold, as well as losses endured during the 267-day journey. According to the account, Rhode Island purchased 124 enslaved people for resale in New York. “Man,” “woman,” “boy,” and “girl” are the only identifiers; there is no record of their names, ages, or histories.
These are the last two pages of the account book. On the left is a tally of rum lost from leakage. On the right is a chart that indicates that thirty-eight enslaved people died during the trip across the Atlantic. This amounts to fifteen percent of all the captives. Eighteen of the deaths were women and girls, who were particularly vulnerable on slave ships. It was not uncommon for crew members to sexually abuse female captives of all ages, and women were not provided proper sanitation for their menstrual cycles or pregnancies. Taken together, these two pages demonstrate how the slave trade reduced human beings to property, as well as the brutality inherent in the slave trade.
Vocabulary
- merchant: A person whose business is buying and selling goods.
- rum: Liquor made from sugar cane.
- sloop: A sailing ship with one mast.
Discussion Questions
- What does the juxtaposition of these two pages reveal about the treatment of enslaved people captured in the Atlantic slave trade?
- What particular dangers did enslaved women and girls face on this journey?
- Why is it important to learn about the disturbing events in our nation’s past?
Suggested Activities
- Pair this resource with The Middle Passage for a deeper discussion of the realities of the transatlantic slave trade.
- For a deeper understanding of the experiences of slavery in the Atlantic world, pair this resource with Fighting for Freedom in New Amsterdam, Life Story: Marie-Josèphe Angélique, and Life Story: Nansi Wiggins.
Themes
AMERICAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP; WORK, LABOR, AND ECONOMY
The New York Historical Curriculum Library Connections
- For more resources relating to childhood in the English colonies, see New World—New Netherland—New York.
