Forgetting a Past of Forgotten Migrations: The History of the Slave Trade in North Carolina

North Carolina's Background in the Slave Trade

         In the late 1600s, numerous African slaves were directly imported into the Carolina colony from Guinea (Crow). Although North Carolina’s importation paled in comparison to many other southern colonies, the slave trade is an irrevocable part of the state’s history. As such, it is crucial that efforts be made to address the past in order to come to terms with racial identities and narratives today. Wilmington was a dominant port used to deliver slaves to the Lower Cape Fear region (Crow). Due to the state’s thriving agricultural market, slave labor was in high demand. By 1860, 19 counties in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont counted black majorities (Crow). Despite this, attempts to reduce or prohibit slave imports were made as early as August 1774 when the Provincial Congress in New Bern resolved, "We will not import any slave or slaves, or purchase any slave or slaves, imported or brought into this Province by others, from any part of the world, after the first day of November next" (First provincial, anchor). However, the importation and selling of slaves continued, despite actions taken by the government.

A Desire To Forget

Mentions of Slavery

          The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program portrays a narrow and celebratory view of local and national history, leaving little room to shed light on the stories of minority groups. Mentions of slavery often appear under the descriptions provided for influential, white men, such as that of John Gray Blount. In 1987, The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program cast a plaque in honor of Blount at the location of his home (North Carolina Office of Archives & History, "John"). The plaque commemorates him as a merchant and land speculator who had shipping interests across the state. The online database provides further information, noting him as an individual whose family had significant influence over the political and economic endeavors of the state. He and his business partners “ owned sawmills, gristmills, tanneries, and cotton gins, and engaged in agricultural pursuits and the slave trade” (North Carolina Office of Archives & History). This marker appears as one of the four results containing the term “slave trade” when searched in the database. Rather than acknowledging the stories of those who endured the horrors of slavery, the program chose to commemorate someone who helped to facilitate its exploitations; his role in the slave trade is mentioned as merely an afterthought. Many plaques commemorate slave-owning white men, broadcasting their achievements rather than their pitfalls.

Detached and Dehumanizing

         Despite an overwhelming lack of representation throughout historical markers in North Carolina, efforts have been made to accurately reflect different perspectives of history. Plaques have been made to celebrate the achievements of influential slaves and African-Americans such as educator and feminist Anna J. Cooper or fugitive slave, writer, and abolitionist Harriet Jacobs. Nonetheless, these markers celebrate achievements rather than acknowledging painful and discriminatory events in North Carolina’s past. Additionally, there is no acknowledgement of North Carolina’s role in the direct importation of slaves to Carolina colony. In order to work towards a more nuanced, collective history, we must first return to where the roots were first planted on the coast.