This episode of The History of American Slavery is free to all as a sample. To join this Slate Academy, listen to all nine episodes of the podcast as they are released, and read supplementary materials, visit slate.com/academy.
In episode two, hosts Rebecca Onion and Jamelle Bouie explore the shape of slavery during the late 18th century. They talk about the heyday of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the birth of the British abolitionist movement. They begin their discussion by remembering the remarkable life of Olaudah Equiano (1745?-1797).
Guests on Ep. 2:
Marcus Rediker, distinguished professor of Atlantic history at the University of Pittsburgh | Read an excerpt from Rediker’s book, “The Slave Ship.”
Adam Hochschild, author | Read an excerpt from Hochschild’s book, “Bury the Chains.”
Here are some of the links discussed in Episode 2:
•You can read Equiano’s entire autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, on Slate.
•Learn more about Vincent Carretta’s research into Equiano’s birthplace.
• The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database has extensive records and data that were generated by the slave ship industry.
•How large was the trans-Atlantic slave trade? An exhibition about the abolition of the slave trade by the New York Public Library estimates that 12.5 million Africans were forcibly transferred to the Americas.
•View a graphic of the slave ship Brookes.
•The University College London hosts a Legacies of British Slave-ownership Database that you can use to search for bold-faced British names whose family wealth may have benefitted from the slave trade.
•Elsewhere in the Academy, “Caveat Emptor!”, The First Anti-Slavery Pamphlet Published in New England
Next time, on Episode 3, Jamelle and Rebecca talk about slavery during the American Revolutionary War and they remember the life of Elizabeth Freeman. Your homework, should you choose to accept it: Read an excerpt from Emily Blanck’s book, Tyrannicide: Forging an American Law of Slavery in Revolutionary South Carolina and Massachusetts.
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