Trace the transatlantic system of enslavement, the experiences and resistance of enslaved people, British abolitionism, US legal struggles and emancipation. Distinguish the end of the British slave trade from the later abolition of slavery itself.
A carefully selected introduction emphasizing major turning points and differing perspectives.
The Atlantic slave trade, plantation slavery and emancipation evolved differently across empires and societies. The materials in this library emphasize Britain and the United States; the path explicitly notes the underrepresented histories of the Caribbean, Brazil and West and Central Africa.
The transatlantic trade created enduring systems of coercion, family separation and plantation labor. Enslaved people resisted in daily life, escape, revolts and political action.
1750 → 1865
REPRESENTED HISTORY 1750 → 1865
Follows a fictionalized family genealogy from West Africa into enslavement in North America, foregrounding intergenerational trauma and resilience.
Dramatization inspired by Alex Haley’s work; individual genealogical claims and details are disputed.
Britain abolished its slave trade in 1807, but slavery in most British colonies was not abolished until 1833–1834. Rebellion and antislavery organizing also shaped reform.
1782 → 25.03.1807
REPRESENTED HISTORY 1782 → 25.03.1807
Shows campaigning for the 1807 British law ending the transatlantic slave trade.
Emphasizes William Wilberforce and parliamentary elites; the 1807 act was not the abolition of slavery.
The lived experience of enslavement and the efforts of free and enslaved abolitionists were central to political transformation.
1841 → 01.1853
REPRESENTED HISTORY 1841 → 01.1853
Uses Solomon Northup’s life to examine kidnapping, plantation violence and the struggle to recover freedom.
Based on a firsthand memoir with reconstructed dialogues and scenes.
REPRESENTED HISTORY 1849 → 1863
Shows Harriet Tubman’s liberation and rescue work through the Underground Railroad.
Dramatized biography; not every episode should be read as documentary fact.