Slavery, Abolition, and Social Justice is a database that provides primary source documents related to the slave trade and to subsequent abolition efforts. The database covers a period from 1490 all the way up to 2007. Rather than just focusing on the slavery of the past, this database looks at the ramifications of that slavery as well as on modern-day slavery. They have 16 areas of study within the database and all of them can be thoroughly explored in their “Themes” section of the database. This is a great place to start your research because you can look at important documents related to each particular theme while also placing them in context through explanation as well as through the “Essays” section of the database. In the “Essays” section of the database several essays written using the sources in the database are gathered; they are all written by leading authorities in their areas and can be a great resource to get a better understanding of the complex issues that this database deals with.
Another great place to get a general understanding of the depth and breadth of the slave trade is the interactive chronology. This timeline looks at the slave trade all over the world from 1492 up to 2007. Though the timeline isn’t as interactive as I’d like it to be, it’s still a great way to get an idea as to the span of slavery, both in terms of its continuation and its effects.
Let’s say that you’re looking for something a bit more specific in your research though. This database is still great for that with its amazing Advanced Search. This Advanced Search is one of the most comprehensive that I’ve seen with the ability to filter your search by Region, by Theme, and even by the Library that provided the document. Given how prevalent slavery has been throughout history, it is extremely useful to be able to narrow your search by region and time period so that you aren’t searching through 500+ years of documents.
Basically, if you are looking into the slave trade and its effects on society, then Slavery, Abolition, and Social Justice is the database for you.
Searching Tips and Tricks:
- Not sure what to search for? Use the Popular Search tab!
- Use phrase searching if you’re looking for a specific phrase, this means typing “Harriet Tubman” instead of Harriet Tubman. This ensures your search will only pull up results where those two words are next to each other.
- Wildcard: ?
- Truncation: *
- The search engine won’t automatically find plurals, so make sure you use that truncation!
As part of a class session in Special Collections, your students will have hands-on access to the most inspiring and intriguing materials the Libraries have to offer. They will learn research skills that go beyond databases – the ability to track down sources, make connections among documents, and read the content of the page alongside physical evidence. Most importantly, they will discover an enthusiasm and engagement with their subject that will take their studies far beyond their textbooks.