I am a Park Ranger at the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida.Nantes is one of Jacksonville's Sister Cities, but it also shares aspects of our history. In February 2008, representatives from Nantes, France came to Jacksonville to meet park staff, local teachers and students, university professors. Jean-Marc Masseaut, Educational Director of the Shackles of Memory Association, came to Kingsley Plantation, one of our park sites, to speak about this history - the transatlantic slave trade.
Click here (.pdf) to read a transcript of Jean-Marc Masseaut's speech.
This blog will track my work with the Shackles of Memory Association (L’association Les Anneaux de la Mémoire) and my visit to Nantes in September 2009. My goal is to develop a curriculum for local schools that ties the history of slavery on both sides of the Atlantic - France, West Africa, and the American South.
The historical slave trade port of Nantes will be used to explain the European history associated with the slave trade, its origins and process. From there, ships can be tracked to coastal trading ports in West Africa. The story of the Middle Passage will be explained through a variety of experiences recorded in primary resources throughout the history of the slave trade.
Several National Parks will be used to tell the stories of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived daily with the institution of slavery. The parks will also highlight the legacy of slavery, and the perseverance and contributions of people of African descent to modern American society.
This project was made possible by the National Park Foundation through its partnership with the National Park Service.
