What This Document Is
This document presents a collection of primary and secondary sources centered on the “Second Middle Passage”—the forced internal migration of enslaved African Americans from the Upper South to the Cotton Belt in the decades before the Civil War. It includes a timeline of key events related to the expansion of slavery, a graph illustrating the volume of the domestic slave trade, a first-person narrative from a formerly enslaved person, and an excerpt from an abolitionist newspaper. This is a Document-Based Question (DBQ) resource intended for students in an upper-level United States History course.
Why This Document Matters
Students enrolled in Studies in United States History (HST 306) at Arizona State University will utilize this document to analyze the causes and consequences of the Second Middle Passage. It’s designed to support historical inquiry and the development of analytical skills through source evaluation. The document is particularly relevant when studying the economic forces driving slavery’s expansion, the human cost of the institution, and the growing sectional tensions that ultimately led to the Civil War. It provides a foundation for understanding the complex dynamics of slavery beyond the transatlantic slave trade.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This document provides source materials for analysis, but it does *not* offer a completed argument or interpretation. Students are expected to synthesize the information presented and formulate their own conclusions. It also doesn’t provide extensive background information on the historical context; students should have prior knowledge of the antebellum period. This preview offers a glimpse into the document’s components but does not substitute for a full engagement with the sources.
What This Document Provides
The full document includes: a timeline detailing events from the 1600s through 1865 related to cotton production, slavery, and westward expansion; Document A, a graph visualizing the growth of the domestic slave trade between 1820 and 1860; Document B, a modified narrative from Mingo White detailing his experience being sold away from his family; Document C, an excerpt from an abolitionist newspaper reporting on the transport of enslaved people to New Orleans. This preview *does not* include the full text of Mingo White’s narrative, the complete timeline, or the full article from *The Genius of Universal Emancipation*. It also does not include any accompanying DBQ prompts or scoring guidelines.