Series: The Slave Trade in Rhode Island
Day 1, Sunday, Mar. 12
Buying and Selling the Human Species: Newport and the Slave Trade
For more than 75 years, the Triangular Trade flourishes in Newport. Rhode Island rum is traded in Africa for slaves, many of whom are sold in the West Indies. Molasses is brought back to Newport so distillers can make more rum.
Read the story | Related: Abraham Redwood, Antigua and the West Indies Trade | Timeline: Dawn of Exploitation | See the multimedia
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Day 2, Monday, Mar. 13
Plantations in the North: The Narragansett Planters
The prosperous Narragansett Planters, operating plantations in South County, send food and livestock vital to the huge sugar cane plantations in the West Indies.
Read the story | Related: No Simple Truth: The Rev. McSparran and his slaves | Related: An Education at Sea: Farm Boys and the Slave Trade
Newport Slave Traders: A List | Timeline: Rhode Island rum proves its worth | See the multimedia
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Day 3, Tuesday, Mar. 14
Strangers in a Strange Land: Newport's Slaves
Newport slaves left few accounts to convey what they thought or how they felt.
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Day 4, Wednesday, Mar. 15
1 Boye Slave Dyed: The Terrible Voyage of the Sally
As Capt. Esek Hopkins found at the height of the trade, transporting slaves was dangerous and dirty work. The Brown brothers first joint investment in a slave voyage is a financial disaster.
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Day 5, Thursday, Mar. 16
Brown vs. Brown: The Bitter Fight to Outlaw the Slave Trade
Providence brothers John and Moses Brown, one a slave trader and the other an abolitionist, square off.
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Day 6, Friday, Mar. 17
Living Off the Trade: Bristol and the DeWolfs
Although federal and state laws are passed to end slave trading, merchants find ways to evade them and continue to prosper. The DeWolfs of Bristol dominate the slave trade and the town.