How British settlers used children as tools of settlement in the British Atlantic

Erica Duncan is an Advisory Council Dissertation Fellow at Penn's McNeil Center for Early American History. Her dissertation, "Childish Freedoms: Black Children and the Making of Freedom in South Carolina and the Bahamas, 1715-1838," centers on the lives of enslaved and freed children of African descent in the British Atlantic to examine how British settlers used these children as tools of settlement, while also showing how these children became essential to shaping ideas of freedom within the Black Atlantic.

"I originally started my archival research trying to locate and question how enslaved Black women's economic activities sustained themselves and their communities in South Carolina during the Age of Revolutions. However, as I was searching for these women's lives in various archives, I continued to notice the presence of enslaved children," explains Duncan.

Duncan found a surprising tool in her research at MCEAS. "My research relies heavily on legal and mercantile records, but runaway advertisements remain one of my most helpful and inspiring sources. I have strategically used these advertisements to piece together a more expansive picture of enslaved children's lives, such as mapping out the vast geographies that children moved through and created. I am often surprised and in awe by the number of enslaved children who took the chance to seek freedom, whether that be alone, with other children, or with those they considered kin. Plus, these advertisements are one of my most helpful teaching tools."

The most rewarding aspect of her research at MCEAS, Duncan says, is "when researching histories of enslaved children and their communities, I sometimes find myself weighed down by what I find in the archives. Therefore, I feel most rewarded when I find those moments when enslaved children and their communities achieved what they may have viewed as a success. Whether that be finding legal freedom or enjoying a playful moment, locating those moments sustains me as a researcher."

Read more at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies.