Metadata-Driven Gamification: Exploring a New System for Crowdsourcing Antebellum History

Abstract

The North American Slave Trade is in full swing. Technological advancements have made newspapers common throughout the Antebellum South. These newspapers feature runaway ads” where enslavers provide a detailed description of the enslaved with the hopes of capture. Some ads offered a handsome reward. Others sought to set an example for those contemplating escape. Today, we seek to compile, transcribe, and explore these advertisements. Above all we want to trace Freedom on the Move.