Dr. Brian Robinson, CLIR Postdoctoral Fellow in Data Curation for African-American Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
This project explores the world of the enslaved and highlights the freedom-seekers of North Carolina. This project can be approached through three central units: Interactive Maps, Story Maps, and the No Longer Yours: Aspects of Slavery and Freedom-Seeking in North Carolina Study Book. Each of the three blends together while simultaneously serving as independent projects. Thus, one does not have to view all of the units to learn about slavery in North Carolina, although exploring each unit is encouraged.
This map introduces users to the seaborne slave trade and slavery in North Carolina. The function of this map is to demonstrate the source of enslaved people for North Carolina by way of the sea. This map shows that North Carolina did not have many enslaved people arrive to the territory by way of the sea. Most enslaved people arrived at the geographical territory called North Carolina through other colonies and eventually states.
This is an essential illustration because it tells a lot about North Carolina, its development, and the early shapens of the institution of slavery in North Carolina. Most importantly, it raises questions about the origins of the enslaved that also peopled North Carolina. This is a great starting point for studying this slavery and enslaved people in North Carolina.
How-to-use Map:
This map will help users explore the diverse world of slavery in North Carolina and provide several perspectives into enslaved people's activities and how the white society of North Carolina related to enslaved people in numerous ways. This is a rich map filled with primary sources. The hope is that the county focus will help for more accessible exploration and trigger local excitement for research into the study of enslaved people and slavery.
How-to-use Map:
This map will help users focus on freedom seekers' notices through a county-grided visualization. Like the county-bound map, guiding the user experience through a county view is to create enthusiasm with the user to look further into the history of the specific location.
How-to-use Map:
These maps offer a different view of slave notices because it shows the aggregated notices within specific areas. This will allow the user to see at least two facts about the history of freedom-seeking. The first being the concentration of slave notices in certain areas. The second being the slavery existed in every part of the state and from every part of the state enslave people sought to remove themselves from the institution of slavery.
How-to-use Map:
Each map served as a space to explore and learn about freedom-seeking and the institution of slavery in North Carolina. The differentiation between the maps will also provide various angles to view the same historical data sources. Furthermore, as they explore the different maps, I hope this will prompt them to learn more about freedom-seeking in North Carolina and prompt visitation to the numerous Network to Freedom sites inside and outside of the state of North Carolina.
No Longer Yours: Slavery and Freedom Seeking in North Carolina Study Book-The written portion of this project sought to provide readers with a grounding and synthesis of the slave experience in North Carolina. The written portion of the project was achieved by weaving primary and secondary sources together and by framing the topics of the slave experience to elements. For instance, the earth chapter focuses on family and labor dealing with the earth, or the wood chapter focuses on skilled enslaved people and the labor using trees. The study book is complete and is filled with images and other multimedia. The scalar textbook is very dynamic and offers users a more in-depth, albeit topical in nature, overview of the life of the enslaved in North Carolina.
Slavery, The Enslaved, and Aspects of Freedom Seeking in North Carolina Infographics- The downloadable infographics is another way to introduce readers to the dynamics of source base, The Digital Library on American Slavery, while at the same time informing readers of unique freedom-seeking stories and petitions, summarization of some of the repetitions and jewels from aggregating the data that researchers of the grant found in the freedom-seeking notices, and provide a way to download, print, and share the stories and information therein with others-untethering some of the information from web dependency. The infographics are hitched to the No Longer Yours Study Book.
The ArcGIS story maps have sought to remix the stories of North Carolina Freedom Seekers narratives into a more interactive and attractive display. Beyond summarizing narratives, ArcGIS story maps allow readers to understand reasons for escape and gain insight into escape routes. A few of the story maps and some of the narratives are presented as audio voice overs that deliver an altered approach to experiencing rich narratives.
The material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), funded by the Department of Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASALH or the Department of the Interior.
NPS reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use, for Federal Government purposes, in any work developed under this grant.
Any material, documents, and information produced by this grant becomes part of the public record and is available to the public. Including Maps, StoryMaps, and other materials attached or not attached to this Scalar book.
A Special Thank You to contributors of these various components ( textbook, maps, story maps, and additional resources), supporters, and sounding boards: Chyna Nurse, Christy Hyman, Justin M., Torren Gatson, Rhonda Jones, Jo Klein, Arwin Smallwood and North Carolina A&T State University, Marcus Allen, Claire Heckel, Kurtis Rogers, Elizabeth Konopka, Shonta Cooper, James Nelson, David Gwynn, Richard Cox, Sheri Jackson, Robin Paschal, Tony Frazier and North Carolina Central University, Nikki Leak, Makiera Simmons-Robinson, National Underground Railroad Network To Freedom, UNCG Libraries, Digital Library on American Slavery (UNCG), UNCG contracts and grants, APTMH
This project centers on the Slave Runaway Notices Database located at UNCG. It borrows significantly from the Digital Library on American Slavery as a whole.