AM407-30 Slavery and Slave Life in the American South, 1619-1865
Introductory description
This module examines the institution of slavery in the southern United States. It allows students to study racism and slavery in America, from the early colonial period through to the mature plantation society which existed before the Civil War.
Module aims
Through the study of contemporary documents, students will explore the interaction between race, class and gender in a slave society and gain an appreciation of the experiences of the slave population held in bondage. They will be enabled through the use of written evidence and quantitative data to understand why Americans turned to slavery, why some elements of the white population supported slavery and why others did not. Students will also learn the different social, cultural, religious and economic techniques used by African-Americans to survive the institution of slavery. The module involves the intensive study of a tightly focused set of topics or problems using a large quantity of primary sources. Students will acquire hands-on experience of the skills involved in working with primary sources.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Week 1: African society and the Atlantic Slave Trade
Week 2: The origins and codification of slavery
Week 3: Colonial slavery: Challenge and response
Week 4: The Impact of the Revolution
Week 5: Internal slave trade
Week 7: The spread of slavery to the towns
Week 8: Rebellions
Week 9: Abolitionism and the end of slavery
Week 10 dissertation and essay workshops
Week 11: The work of the slave
Week 12: The informal economy
Week 13: Slave family life and death
Week 14: Slave religion
Week 15: Slave culture
Week 17: Slave gender
Week 18: Race relations: The Elite
Week 19: Race relations: The Non-Elite
Week 20: Runaways and Resistance
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of the history of the institution of slavery in the United States
- Critically analyse and evaluate a broad range of primary sources, including cultural evidence, relating to the interaction between race, class and gender in a slave society
- Effectively communicate ideas, and make informed, coherent and persuasive arguments, relating to the history of slavery in the United States.
- Critically review and consolidate theoretical, methodological, and historiographical ideas relating to the history of slavery in the United States
Indicative reading list
- Ira Berlin, Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America
- Ira Berlin, Generations of Captivity: A History of African American Slaves
- Peter Kolchin, American Slavery, 1619-1877
- Peter Parish, Slavery: History and Historians
- Peter Parish, Slavery: The Many Faces of a Southern Institution
- James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton, Slavery and the Making of America
- Kenneth Morgan, Slavery and Servitude in North America, 1607-1800
- James Walvin, A Short History of Slavery
- Gad Heuman and James Walvin (eds.), The Slavery Reader
- Clayton E. Jewett and John O. Allen (eds.), Slavery in the South: A State-by-State History
- Randall M. Miller and John David Smith (eds.), Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery
- John Hope Franklin, From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Subject specific skills
See learning outcomes.
Transferable skills
See learning outcomes.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 18 sessions of 2 hours (90%) |
| Tutorials | 4 sessions of 1 hour (10%) |
| Total | 40 hours |
Private study description
History modules require students to undertake extensive independent research and reading to prepare for seminars and assessments. As a rough guide, students will be expected to read and prepare to comment on three substantial texts (articles or book chapters) for each seminar taking approximately 3 hours. Each assessment requires independent research, reading around 6-10 texts and writing and presenting the outcomes of this preparation in an essay, review, presentation or other related task.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group D1
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Seminar contribution | 10% | |
| 1500 word essay | 10% | |
| 3000 word source based essay | 40% | |
| 7 day take-home assessment | 40% |
Feedback on assessment
Written feedback provided via Tabula; optional oral feedback in office hours.
Courses
This module is Option list A for:
- Year 4 of UITA-R3V2 Undergraduate History and Italian