Experiences of Enslaved Children in Luanda, 1850–1869
About half of Luanda’s population comprised enslaved people in the mid-nineteenth century. Although scholars have examined the expansion of slavery in Angola after the end of the transatlantic slave trade and the use of slavery to underpin the trade in tropical commodities, the labor performed by en...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Genealogy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/8/1/29 |
| _version_ | 1797240879563407360 |
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| author | Vanessa S. Oliveira |
| author_facet | Vanessa S. Oliveira |
| author_sort | Vanessa S. Oliveira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | About half of Luanda’s population comprised enslaved people in the mid-nineteenth century. Although scholars have examined the expansion of slavery in Angola after the end of the transatlantic slave trade and the use of slavery to underpin the trade in tropical commodities, the labor performed by enslaved children has been neglected. This study explores the experiences of enslaved children working in Luanda during the era of the so-called “legitimate” commerce in tropical commodities, particularly between 1850 and 1869. It draws upon slave registers, official reports, and the local gazette, the <i>Boletim Oficial de Angola</i>, to analyze the means through which children were enslaved, the tasks they performed, their background, family connections, and daily experiences under enslavement. This paper argues that masters expected enslaved children to perform the same work attributed to enslaved men and women. After all, they saw captives as a productive unit irrespective of their age. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:14:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3e07767865814b9dba4705d9ce8d8d1d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2313-5778 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:14:27Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genealogy |
| spelling | doaj.art-3e07767865814b9dba4705d9ce8d8d1d2024-03-27T13:42:50ZengMDPI AGGenealogy2313-57782024-03-01812910.3390/genealogy8010029Experiences of Enslaved Children in Luanda, 1850–1869Vanessa S. Oliveira0History Department, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON K0H 1S0, CanadaAbout half of Luanda’s population comprised enslaved people in the mid-nineteenth century. Although scholars have examined the expansion of slavery in Angola after the end of the transatlantic slave trade and the use of slavery to underpin the trade in tropical commodities, the labor performed by enslaved children has been neglected. This study explores the experiences of enslaved children working in Luanda during the era of the so-called “legitimate” commerce in tropical commodities, particularly between 1850 and 1869. It draws upon slave registers, official reports, and the local gazette, the <i>Boletim Oficial de Angola</i>, to analyze the means through which children were enslaved, the tasks they performed, their background, family connections, and daily experiences under enslavement. This paper argues that masters expected enslaved children to perform the same work attributed to enslaved men and women. After all, they saw captives as a productive unit irrespective of their age.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/8/1/29enslaved childrentropical commoditiesLuandaslaverySouthern Atlantic |
| spellingShingle | Vanessa S. Oliveira Experiences of Enslaved Children in Luanda, 1850–1869 Genealogy enslaved children tropical commodities Luanda slavery Southern Atlantic |
| title | Experiences of Enslaved Children in Luanda, 1850–1869 |
| title_full | Experiences of Enslaved Children in Luanda, 1850–1869 |
| title_fullStr | Experiences of Enslaved Children in Luanda, 1850–1869 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experiences of Enslaved Children in Luanda, 1850–1869 |
| title_short | Experiences of Enslaved Children in Luanda, 1850–1869 |
| title_sort | experiences of enslaved children in luanda 1850 1869 |
| topic | enslaved children tropical commodities Luanda slavery Southern Atlantic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/8/1/29 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vanessasoliveira experiencesofenslavedchildreninluanda18501869 |