The history of the northern states' involvement in the slave trade is not widely known. This resource uses the PBS documentary, Traces of the Trade, and the nonfiction book, Children of the New England Slave Trade, to examine this aspect of slavery in the US. Both works are the result of the author's accidental discovery that an ancestor, living in the North, was a slave holder. After discussing the issues raised by these texts, individuals are encourage to search their own family trees to uncover stories in their family histories.