Reading Meanings

“When you have mastered numbers, you will in fact no longer be reading numbers, any more than you read words when reading books. You will be reading meanings.”

— W.E.B. Du Bois

Instructions

Suppose you have built and analyzed the two datasets described below. Draw on information you have learned in this class to respond to the questions provided.

Group Number

Describe and analyze the age distribution of each dataset.

What do you think accounts for the discrepancy between the average ages of male and female fugitives from slavery? (Speculation is okay; we will discuss this in detail during our class on fugitivity.)

How do you account for the sex disparity among fugitives from slavery? (Speculation is okay; we will discuss this in detail during our class on fugitivity.)

Why do you think surnames were so much more common on manifests of vessels departing Maryland than on fugitive advertisements published in Maryland newspapers? (Speculation is okay; I will share the answer later.)