The Archaeology of Defiance: Tracing Enslaved Africans’ Resistance and Revolt on Slave Ships

This is my Historical Archaeology Class. For my final research paper, I need to do 10 pages.

This is my introduction/thesis:

The transatlantic slave trade is one of the most dreadful chapters in human history, with millions of Africans forced to flee, brutalized, and exploited over centuries. While historical documents are crucial for understanding this time period, they frequently miss or downplay enslaved Africans’ agency and resistance. However, modern scholarship has increasingly recognized the need of looking into incidents of resistance and insurrection on slave ships as critical components of comprehending the lived experiences of those subjected to the horrors of the Middle Passage. Through an examination of archaeological evidence, this research paper aims to demonstrate that instances of resistance and revolt by enslaved Africans on board slave ships were pervasive and multifaceted. By analyzing material culture recovered from these ships, this study seeks to illuminate the lived experiences of enslaved individuals, the strategies they employed to resist oppression, and the broader implications of their resistance within the context of the transatlantic slave trade. Ultimately, this paper argues that archaeological evidence offers unique insights into the agency, resilience, and collective action of enslaved Africans during one of the darkest chapters in human history.

Must use fact checked scholary sources. I have added some sources that I would like to use.