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. New-York Historical Society 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 . . . |
Philip Livingston, David Lindsey, and Peter James, Trade Book of the Sloop Rhode Island, December 1749–July 1749. New-York Historical Society 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. New-York Historical Society Library.
Background
New York 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 Document
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, the 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, 15 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 resulting 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 involved in buying and selling large quantities of 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 in the Atlantic slave trade?
- What particular dangers did the 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
- Include this document in lessons about the history of slavery and racial injustice in the Americas.
- Include this document as part of any lesson on the Middle Passage or the Triangle Trade.
- The entirety of the trade book is available online from the New-York Historical Society. Invite students to dig deeper into this resource and create an infographic of the data on the enslaved people carried by the Rhode Island to New York.
- Teach this document together with The Middle Passage for a full lesson on the realities of the transatlantic slave trade.
- Philip Livingston was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, but his role in the slave trade is often overlooked. Ask the students to find an online biography of Livingston and rewrite it to include this important part of his legacy.
- Once students are comfortable interpreting and understanding the data in this ship record, invite them to continue their research on the Middle Passage by finding more voyage records on Voyages: The Atlantic Slave Trade Database.
- Mayken van Angola, Marie-Josèphe Angélique, and Nansi Wiggins all endured the treacherous journey across the Atlantic as captives. Couple this resource with either of their life stories to enrich student understanding of the experiences of slavery in the Atlantic world.
- Combine this image with any of the following resources for a larger lesson about childhood in the American colonies: Life Story: Malitzen of New Spain, Life Story: Kateri Tekakwitha of New France, The Mourning Poetry of Anne Bradstreet, Life Story: Lisbeth Anthonijsen, Life on the Encomienda, The Middle Passage, Children at Work, Education in New France, Life Story: Dennis and Hannah Holland, Life Story: Mother Esther Marie-Joseph Wheelwright de l’Enfant, The Rapalje Children, Symbols of Accomplishment, The Casket Girls, and Eighteenth-Century Education.
Themes
AMERICAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP; WORK, LABOR, AND ECONOMY
New-York Historical Society Curriculum Library Connections
- For more resources relating to childhood in the English colonies, see New World—New Netherland—New York.
