Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Documentary heritage
of enslaved peoples
of the Caribbean
Inscribed 2003
What is it
A collection of antique legal documents, plantation
ledgers, estate inventories, rare books and original prints
and paintings, relating to the lives of enslaved people.
Why was it inscribed
The documentary heritage of enslaved peoples of the
Caribbean is a unique collection that reflects the life
of slaves in the Caribbean. The system established in
Barbados became a model for plantations in other
countries including the United States of America.
Where is it
Barbados Museum and Historical Society,
Shilstone Memorial Library, St Michael, Barbados
The Barbados Museum and Historical Society’s
collection of Caribbean slavery heritage constitutes a
unique corpus of documentary evidence on the lives
of enslaved Caribbean people throughout the 17th to the
19th centuries.
These archives record one of the darkest periods
in human history: the legalized and institutionalized
enslavement of people on a global scale. They also
document a defining moment in the development
of the modern world: the shift from an agrarian to an
industrialized society.
The economically successful system of slave labour
and ownership that was perfected on Barbados was
� Travel licence for a slave man
named William.
� Freed Slave statue by Karl Broodhagen.
then exported to other colonies such as Antigua, Jamaica,
South Carolina, Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname. The slave
laws of Barbados became the template against which
most of the other slave laws in the West Indies – and
the continental United States – were based.
The museum’s collection comprises several categories
of material. Letters relating to affairs of plantation life
provide insight into the attitudes and belief systems
of slave owners, how they treated their slaves, and other
� Certificate of compensation. � Letter from a governor requesting the
pardon of two slaves.
Documentary heritage of enslaved peoples of the Caribbean 209