Welcome to Recovered Histories
has digitised
its collection of 18th and 19th century literature on the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Recovered Histories captures the narratives of the enslaved, enslavers, slave ship surgeons, abolitionists, parliamentarians, clergy, planters and rebels.
Use the themed narratives as starting points or to explore over 40,000 pages in the collection.
About the Collection
Further information about the project and the Binns Collection.
Search the Collection
Each page in the collection has been scanned and run through optical character recognition software to produce live text versions. These can be searched. Careful of the “long s” which the optical character recognition software translates as an “f”.
Browse the Collection
There are nearly 800 pamphlets in the collection totalling over 40,000 pages.
You can view an A to Z list of the titles, or sort by date or author.
If you should find any problems with the quality of the pages we would appreciate feedback through the "defect" button so they can be corrected.
Educational Resources
A book list and links to other sites of interest.
Time Line Tour of the Collection
A chronology of slavery with links to articles from the collection. Click on the years highlighted red on this page to see all the pamphlets in the collection published in those years.
Narratives from the Collection
There are many personal accounts of slavery held within the collection. This section has stories from captives, slavers, abolotionists and those profiting from the trade.
Glossary
There are many personal accounts of slavery held within the collection. This section has stories from captives, slavers, abolotionists and those profiting from the trade.
Test Your Knowledge
Multiple choice questions.
Introduction
"Slavery is now no where more patiently endured, than in countries once inhabited by the zealots of liberty."
Samuel Johnson
Africa
"Africa was the cradle of the arts and sciences... If they pretend to forget this, it becomes our duty to remind them of it."
Baron De Vastey, African Haitian, 1817
Capture & Enslavement
"All the information I could procure confirms me in the belief that to kidnapping, the trade owes its key support."
Alexander Falconbridge, 1797
The Middle Passage
"...The stench of the hold…was so intolerably loathsome that it was dangerous to remain there..."
Olaudah Equiano
Caribbean Enslavement
"Didn’t my people before me, slave for this country"
Bob Marley
Resistance & rebellion
"...the duty of a man who is robbed...is to get out of the hands of his enslaver..."
Alexander Falconbridge, 1797
The Pro-Slavery Lobby
"...a trade to the most advantage to this kingdom of any we drive..."
John Cary, Bristol Merchant
The Anti-Slavery Lobby
"No man can serve two masters."
Sam Sharpe
Religion
"the condition of slavery is the result of sin."
St. Augustine
Abolition
"...It is high time to resort to other measures..."
Elizabeth Heyrick
Legacy
"[the legacy of slavery] is not to be measured simply by the millions slaughtered by slave hunters in Africa"
John Maxwell, Jamaican journalist
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