Jessica Umana 

Professor Rumore 

ENG 302

March 20, 2020 

    Archival Project: Slave Trade  

The history of slavery crosses many cultures, nations, and countries around the entire world and African Americans have been enslaved since the early 17th century. In “Oroonoko,” by Aphra Behn, we encounter the life of an African Prince named Oroonoko who lived with his beautiful wife Imoinda. However, the narrator described Oroonoko in a way that reflected his power and distinctive features. Behn claims to have known Oroonoko during his captivity in Suriname, a British colony at the time. Furthermore, she emphasizes the importance of Oroonoko’s history, allowing the reader to cherish the fact that he was the last descendant of a royal line and was no ordinary slave, but a prince in Africa. 

In the story, an English sea captain comes to visit Oroonoko’s land, in which Oroonoko welcomes him as a noble friend. Moreover, Oroonoko catches his eye, and eventually the English captain invites him to board his ship, where Oroonoko is then kidnapped along with many of his own attendants. During the Atlantic slave trade, the conditions of many of these ships many slaves were being transported in were extremely poor. Often, ships carried hundreds of slaves, many of which had to sleep next to each other. These slaves were chained to the bed since many would try to commit suicide while on the ship. In addition, there were numerous unhygienic conditions and the ships were extremely unsanitary, which often led to poor health conditions. Most importantly, food and water was a major issue, as captains thought that food was too expensive to provide for the slaves and they bought as little as possible for them to eat. 

This image connects to Oroonoko, when he was captivated by the English captain and was taken on board to Suriname. In this image, we see that there is a large number of African Americans bunched together, sleeping in bins or sitting next to each other. It is important to keep in mind that one of the main causes of deaths for slaves during this time was due to numerous diseases which were easily spread throughout these ships. It is important to also keep in mind that these ships weren’t designed to transport people but were actually designed to transport goods to other countries. Because of this, diseases were easily spread due to poor hygiene and the way these slaves were packed together. Some of these diseases included smallpox, flux and scurvy. Although Oroonoko didn’t face these specific obstacles while being transported to Suriname, many slaves during the 1800 had to face these challenges. 

Further along, once Oroonoko is brought to Suriname, he is sold to an intelligent kind hearted slave who promised his freedom later on. During the 1800’s, slaves were often sold at auctions or at markets. Also, they were often advertised in newspapers, like cars and houses are advertised today. However, slave auctions devalued them as a human being, which underestimated their human rights and left them with no freedom or value for themselves.  

This image of the slave trade connects to Oroonoko, when he was captive in Suriname and was going to be sold to his slave owner. This image demonstrates white dealers closely inspecting a black man who is on for sale. It is important to know that one essential feature slave owners looked for in a man was his physical appearance as well as his mental health. Slaves who were easily sold were those who were strong, intelligent, and robust. The stronger and better the appearance of the slave, the more it persuaded the white men to buy him. 

In all, I chose these two objects from the 1800’s because they demonstrated the poor conditions slaves were being transported in. In addition, I felt that it was extremely important to consider how slaves were being sold and how these black African men were being devalued as human beings. Although Oroonoko was a powerful man in his country and held royal power, that all changed in a matter of seconds, where he was put down from his royalty to the lowest he could ever be, and that was by becoming a slave unwillingly. 

Work Cited 

Behn Aphra. Oroonoko, edited by Janet Todo, Penguin Books, 2003.

Getty Images. “Captives for Sale” Slavery and Antislavery. A Transnational Archive. 1750.Getty Images. “Slave Quarters below Deck.Online” 1846.