Y13 History Visit to the International Museum of Slavery in Liverpool
As part of their A2 History studies, Y13 historians study civil rights in the USA 1865-1992 which includes African-American civil rights. To give an understanding of the practical and emotional reality of the slave trade and slavery, we visited the International Museum of Slavery in Liverpool in September 2014.
We travelled by train to Liverpool and walked through the city centre to the dock area where the International Museum of Slavery occupies the third floor of the Maritime Museum. Fittingly, the buildings are old warehouses that were used by companies trading with West Africa and the Caribbean.
The museum traces the culture of Africa before slavery and challenges the European perception of the time that Africa was an uncivilised place. Students were able to participate in a powerful video experience of what it was like to endure the Middle Passage journey from West Africa to the Caribbean before exploring in detail the hardships of life as a slave on a plantation. They were moved by the harsh punishments and gruelling working conditions endured by slaves and this gave them a deep understanding of why African-Americans, after they had been emancipated in 1865, continued to be mistreated and became increasingly frustrated at the slow pace of progress towards full civil rights in reality as well as on paper. The set-backs and achievements on this road to civil rights are studied by students as part of their course and these were also detailed in the museum, giving students an opportunity to see these struggles in the context of a much longer struggle for freedom. An educational workshop enabled students to explore one aspect of slavery in-depth as well as its economic and moral aspects. The museum also encourages students to understand that slavery is not only part of history but unfortunately very much part of life today with human trafficking. They found the moving testimonies of people who have endured slavery in the UK and around the world today particularly poignant and challenging.
