History

Time and Place: 1661: Slavery in English America

Module code: V1386
Level 5
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework

In 1661, the Barbados Assembly passed the first law in English North America to codify racial slavery. This law determined, for the first time, that enslaved Black people could be treated as property, or “chattel”. It was amended several times, but served as the blueprint for all other “slave codes” which were established in English American colonies.

In this module, you’ll put the 1661 Barbados slave code into context. This will help you understand why this document represents such a significant moment in the history of transatlantic and racial slavery. You’ll explore:

• the development of ideas about race and gender in English North America
• how racial slavery emerged and was perceived
• the role of free people of European and African heritage in upholding the practices of slavery
• how slavery was experienced and resisted by enslaved Africans.

You’ll consider broader questions related to histories of colonisation and empire in the early modern Atlantic world. You’ll study this history from many perspectives using a range of historical sources, including:

• plantation and legal records
• travel writing
• material culture.

Module learning outcomes

• Critically evaluate the historiography around a particular moment.
• Critically evaluate the applicability of historical concepts to particular cases.
• Supply evidence of these skills in extended essay form.
• Demonstrate ability to use limited amounts of primary source material in extended historical argument.