A fall from prominence: New England slave traders and the changing perceptions and realities of human trafficking, 1645-1807

This thesis studies the American slave trade from its earliest beginnings in the mid-16th century and shows how the trade became a critical aspect of the New England economy. It then continues until the end of its open and legal conduct in 1808. The paper focuses on the American slave traders themselves, men often ignored by most historians. Before the American Revolution, the number of slave trading voyages outfitted in North America were quite miniscule when compared to the slaving operations of the British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. However, after the war, Americans rapidly increased their slaving market share and became a major player in the Atlantic slave trade. The primary aim of this project is to examine New England slave traders before, during, and after the American Revolution to reveal how the events and rhetoric of that period altered the future conduct of the slave trading profession. In the end, by examining congressional proceedings, early American Newspapers, and the journals of American slave traders and abolitionists, this thesis reveals that New England slave traders had grown adept at avoiding any legal hindrance on their participation in the trade. Indeed, the official abolition of the American slave trade in 1808 did little to prevent its open-conduct, but changing public opinions of the commerce would drive the slave trade from the public eye and into the realm of smuggling.