Moodle@Warwick

Content Note

Please be advised that, while many historical subjects involve distressing themes, this module—focusing on the history of racial slavery—will frequently engage with material that is especially painful and violent in nature. Violence, in its many forms, is central to the history we will study.

We will approach this material with care, respect, and sensitivity toward the lives of the individuals and communities we examine. Please also be aware that some primary sources may contain profane or offensive language, and older historical writing may use outdated or harmful terminology. These terms will not be spoken aloud in our discussions.

Module Overview

Through the study of contemporary documents and nuanced scholarship, this module traces the development of racial slavery from the colonial U.S. through to the Civil War. Students will examine the social, cultural, religious, and economic strategies African Americans used to survive under slavery.

This is an intensive, source-based course that engages deeply with a focused set of historical problems. Students will gain hands-on experience working with a wide range of primary sources, developing key skills in historical analysis.

We will also situate U.S. slavery in a broader hemispheric context, considering connections such as the illicit slave trade with Latin America. The course explores slavery as a system deeply embedded in industrial capitalism, and examines both violent and non-violent forms of resistance.

Students will engage with diverse perspectives, including those of White enslavers and non-slaveholding poor Whites. Finally, we will follow the path by which debates between abolitionists and proslavery advocates ultimately fractured the nation and led to war.