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Trade

Large spreadsheet documenting each foreign vessel that arrived in the port of Zanzibar which kept track of things such as the origin, size, and cargo of each visiting ship.
Source

List of Foreign Arrivals in the Port of Zanzibar from the 16th September 1832 to 26th May 1835

This is an ostensibly mundane document that contains a tremendous amount of information for interpreting the global dynamics of this period of history, all while peering out into the world from the tiny island of Zanzibar.

Title page of Dr. William Ruschenberger's memoir
Teaching

Short Teaching Module: Global Microhistory and the Nineteenth-Century Omani Empire

In their primer essay, Jessica Hanser and Adam Clulow note how scholars of global microhistory explore relationships between macro and micro, deep structures and contingency, and big state actors and minor players.

Ad for auction of ship's cargo. Description at link.
Teaching

Short Teaching Module: Nineteenth-Century American Trade on Zanzibar

Although American merchants often fade from historical narratives after the eighteenth century, they remained influential actors in the United States and abroad.

List of items in several columns. Explanation in annotation.
Source

Outward Cargo Manifest of the Rowena, 1841

Cargo manifests and other shipping records offer a tangible glimpse into expansive commercial networks, reminding observers of the physical goods underwriting long distance trade.

Text of contract in English and Arabic. Explanation in source annotation.
Source

American and Zanzibari Trade Contract, 1841

This contract, one of few bilingual agreements that survive, illustrates the practical commercial system that Indian, Arab, and American traders developed on Zanzibar. The document outlines the quantity, quality, and price of the cloves being sold as well as their expected delivery date.

Ad for auction of ship's cargo. Description at link.
Source

Advertisement for the Auction of the Ann’s Cargo, 1827

This flyer advertises the Ann’s 1827 arrival in Salem, Massachusetts, after making one of the first American trips to Zanzibar.

Image of a list written in script. Explanation in source annotation.
Teaching

Short Teaching Module: Global Approaches to Maritime Trade in Colonial North America

Traditional narratives in American history, especially in colonial history, tend to focus primarily on British policy and British trade networks. Taking a global approach to the maritime trade of British America in the colonial era provides a better understanding of the actual economy, however.

Image of bill written in script. Transcription on source page and explanation in source annotation.
Source

Bill of Lading of a ship from Piscataqua to Bilbao in Spain, 1721

This bill of lading is a standard form used in shipping in the 18th century.

Image of a list written in script. Explanation in source annotation.
Source

Lisbon Port Entry List for Colonial American Ships, 1771

This is just one example of thousands of pages and documents that the Portuguese use to manage and record the trade coming in and out of their ports.

Inset of Prester John from larger world map. Shows a man sitting in front of a tent.
Teaching

Short Teaching Module: Examining Early Genoese Voyages through Maps

The medieval Genoese ranged from China to the Atlantic, and their experience in navigation, the sugar industry, and the slave trade were the elemental foundation of Iberian colonial expansion.