LA Slave Database 1 Running Head: Louisiana Slave

Project 2 Analyzing the Louisiana Slave Database Yasmin Berry SOWK 300 Tuskegee University October 15, 2011

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Slave Place of Origin

Source: The Louisiana Slave Database

Descriptive: The graph above represents the origin in which the slaves were from. From the origins represented the ones unidentified accounted for approximately 65,000 of the slaves which was majority of the slaves. The slaves that originated from Africa accounted for the majority of the slaves whom origin was identified. There were about 28,000 slaves that were from Africa. There were 10,000 slaves that were Creole. The rest of the slaves such as the ones that were Caribbean, Anglo, Indian, and other only had 5000 and less. Interpretive: The stories that we are told in many history classes is that if not all slaves then majority of slaves are from Africa. Though majority of the slaves origins are unidentified Africa was the second largest place where slaves were from. The number of slaves that were Creole were about half of the number of slaves that were from African. This is important because Creole people are people from any race and from a mixture of races. More than likely all the slaves that were Creole was not just from one race but a mixture of races as well. Though there were a low number of slaves that were Caribbean, Anglo, and Indiana there was still at least 5000 of slaves that did not originate from Africa.

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Age Category of Slave

Source: The Louisiana Slave Database Descriptive: During slavery the ages of slaves ranged from babies to elderly people. The graph above represents the age categories of the Louisiana Slaves. Based on the graph there were 80,000 slaves in the age group that were O. Being that the adults could do a lot more work than younger slaves there were more adults than infants and children. There were about 15,000 slaves that were adults and about 5000 slaves that were children. Interpretive: Adult slaves always were the majority during slavery. Masters kept older adult because they were able to teach them a trade which made them more useful. They did not have a lot of slaves that were children because they would give the slaves little to no time to reproduce because they always tried to break up the black male and his family. They had very minimum old slaves because they were too old to work and became useless. There were a high percentage of slaves that were missing. This could be a result of the lack of education the slaves received. If they were not educated then it is likely that they did not know their birthday.

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Runaway Slaves

Source: The Louisiana Slave Database Descriptive: Due to the harsh reality of being in slavery many slaves would attempt to run away. The graph above represents the slaves that ran away, traded with runway, and those that testified about those that runaway. There were very little slaves to no slaves mentioned in those three categories. There were about 2000 slaves that actually were successful at running away. There were 100,000 slaves testimonies that were missing about running away. Interpretive: If slaves confused about thinking about running away or being involved with a slave that ran away they knew they would be punished. This is the reason why majority of the slaves responses was missing and why none of the slaves admitted to trading with runways and telling on those that did run away. Slaves had a strong bond so they did not break each others trust and let alone tell on each other. They would rather receive a beating than seeing their fellow slave get caught and killed for running away.

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Sex of Slave

Source: The Louisiana Slave Database Descriptive: Typically males are stronger than females and more capable of doing manual labor than females are. The graph above indicates the sex of the slaves. There are 55,000 males and 40,000 females. There are 10,000 slaves represented whose gender was missing. Depending on what kind of work there was to be done they can be either male or female. Interpretive: During slavery masters categorized their slaves on the type of work they were capable of doing. If they thought you were not useful then they would sell the slave. Many masters tried to keep strong men around so that they can make money off their labor. This may be the reason why there are 15,000 more men than women. Women were used for easier work such as house servants, picking cotton, and to please the masters sexual desires. They were not in as high demand than the males slaves were.

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Summary & Conclusion Slavery was a time that was filled with many trials and tribulations for those that were slaves. Slaves not only were brought from Africa but many other places such as India and the Caribbean as well. The masters main goals were to profit from all their slaves and allow themselves to become richer from someone elses labor. This is why there are majority male slaves because they produce more work. The Louisiana Database gave insight on the slaves sex, origin, age, and information on runaway slaves. From the information provided one is able to see the true reality of slavery. The masters technique to make more money was made clear by the number of adult slaves they had and the number of older slaves they had. Adult slaves were the majority and there were very few older slaves because of the amount of work they produce. It is also clear to see the brutality of slavery based on those that ran away. The masters thought they instilled fear in the slaves so many did not respondent to if they attempted to runway or if they knew a slaved that actually runway. Slaves were able to begin a major transformation in the black society since they were the main ones targeted during slavery. Many lost their lives and loved ones due to slavery. Even though this was meant to tear families apart and manipulate a particular race this allowed the slaves to build a stronger bond with each other and endure more hardship and pain.

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Map of Liberia:

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