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Paper short abstract:

One-third of the Liberated Africans who arrived in Sierra Leone from 1808 to 1834 were classified as children. For the large majority, apprenticeship was a compulsory duty. This paper provides an analysis of their experiences inside of the households to which they were forcibly sent.

Paper long abstract:

By the early nineteenth century, Sierra Leone had developed as one of the world's first post-slavery societies with a population comprised of diverse migrant groups of African origin and descent. Liberated Africans between 1808 and 1864 were released from intercepted slave ships. Analyses on the Registers of Liberated Africans from 1808 to 1834 demonstrated that more than one-third of these recaptives were classified as children. The vast majority of those classified as children were allocated to apprenticeships. By tracing patterns of 'disposal' among Liberated African children, this paper aims to review their experiences inside of the households after the resettlement. The focus of this analysis is on artificial family formation, which was a characteristic feature of administrative policy for the large number of recaptives who arrived in the colony. This analysis contributes to an understanding of the position of Liberated African children as orphans under the guardianship of the Liberated African Department. Tracing the masters and mistresses to whom these children were allocated offers an insight into the apprenticeship system, which is analysed from a micro perspective. Understanding the place of the child in the family formation is essential, as it reflects on their 'orphanhood' and 'alienation' and the limits imposed upon their freedom. As gender was an important marker as far as freedom and 'disposal' were concerned, this variable is also taken into account in this paper.