The U.S., Cuba, and rethinking the end of slavery

The documentary I referred to tonight in class, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, is one I showed last semester in my course on New World Slavery.  It covers the journey of one Rhode Island woman (and a few extended family members) who sought to discover the roots of her family's wealth in the U.S. slave trade--via the contraband slave markets that Landers talked about in her chapter on the role of Cuba in the 19th century.  The documentary is a fascinating one, as it delves into issues of silencing "unthinkable" histories (like the New Englanders' myth of not being involved with slavery), and of considering the consequences of economic privileges and handicaps that have trickled down since slavery and the slave trade ended. It can be requested from the Jupiter Library, or browse through the clips and materials available for teaching.