As we saw last month, the slavery story was not static. Nor were the victims passive. They pressed every advantage they could. However, this was not enough. The miniscule freedoms granted did not offer much of an escape from the drudgery they faced. This was especially true of many of the new arrivals, who saw the horrors of slavery in the English colonies and were quick to protest.

This episode, I will be covering three slave revolts and their aftermath in detail. One along the Stono River in South Carolina, and two others in New York City. These revolts played off the threat of war with the Spanish, and a general mistrust between rivals, and, of course, the ever-present fear among the European settlers of slave revolt.

The reaction often far outpaced the actual revolt, and for one of them, conspiracies were alleged implicating every corner of society.

The notes do not touch on these revolts much, so grab your weapon of choice—or your gavel, if you’d prefer—and let’s fill in these missing pages…

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Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Smoke - Michael Witt

Sources

Stono - ed. Mark M. Smith

New York Burning - Jill Lepore

When I Die, I Shall Return to My Own Land - Ben Hughes

Many Thousand Gone - Ira Berlin

Gotham - Edwin G. Burrows, Mike Wallace

American Colonies - Alan Taylor

Before the Revolution - Daniel K. Richter

The image of slavery that is pervasive in media—the black man in raggedy clothes, with a scarred back, hunched over low-lying plants in a field—is a correct version of the life of a slave. But it’s only a version. There is also the rope maker that works alongside a white servant and master artisan. Or the woman tending to her chickens then sewing linen clothes for her husband. Or even the man in a powdered wig, his silver buttons on his newly purchased jacket, walking the streets on a Sunday morning.

Slavery as an institution was horrendous and vile. But that did not mean the slaves were going to accept their position without protest. This protest was most often not violent, but rather a silent protest of seeking the best life possible despite the consequences. The story of this episode covers the more nuanced version of slavery than is typically described in popular discourse.

No doubt, the story of the tortured man in the fields is an important one, but so is the story of the man who understands he has agency and acts on it in any way he can.

The notes are relatively sparse for this one (kind of…) so there is quite a bit of work to do to fill in the missing pages…

Thanks for listening to Missing Pages! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Rise Again - EV!

Sources

Many Thousand Gone - Ira Berlin

Gotham - Edwin G. Burrows, Mike Wallace

American Colonies - Alan Taylor

Before the Revolution - Daniel K. Richter

American Slavery, American Freedom - Edmund S. Morgan

Colonial South Carolina, A History - Robert M. Weir

Puritan scholar Perry Miller called what occurred in Salem in 1692 a non-event which had “no effect on the ecclesiastical or political situation, [and] does not figure in the institutional development.” The causes of this event are far more important to us now than the effects. However, it has had an effect in our understanding of human psychology. There was no single thinker that revolutionized our understanding of the mind, but we can put ourselves in the shoes of these paranoid people who were beyond terrified that the Devil was loose in their town.

It displays the dangers when accepting a child’s word, defending family, and social hierarchies are pushed to their extremes. Furthermore, it reinforced the necessity of presumed innocence and physical evidence. There’s a reason “witch-hunt” is still so common in our lexicon. These events were shameful for those involved, so much so that the governor tried to ban any publication of the events. Scant few recanted their claims or apologized for their conduct that led to the accusation of over 200 people and the death of over 20. And all of this may have started by girls seeking a little attention.

There’s much to explore in this story. So let’s unwind this complex, albeit small, knot, and fill in those missing pages…

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Dancing in the Fire - Frank Schlimbach

Sources

A Storm of Witchcraft - Emerson W. Baker

Six Women of Salem - Marilynne K. Roach

This episode is a bit unorthodox, I will be jumping around a bit through time and space to explore the various facets of the changing American life in the later colonial period. This includes the creation of new social classes and the rise of a distinct culture in the British colonies. These changes are brought about via rapid population expansion, and rapid growth in the economy and trade.

This multifaceted growth coincided with a relative independence within the British colonies from meddling from the Crown, Parliament, or the Board of Trade. Thus, the isolated colonists were able to forge their own identity and remake the class structure. In the end, most found themselves much better off than their counterparts across the ocean.

I also discuss the similar, though much less rapid, growth in the French and Spanish colonies in order to set the stage for the rest of this era. The sparce nature of these colonies gives far less to discuss, so I go into less depth here, but they will return when the three empires in North America spar throughout the century.

With all of that said, I have some work to do to dive more into depth than the notes do, so let’s fill in those missing pages…

Thanks for listening to Missing Pages! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Crooked Dream - Jamison Dewlen

Sources

William Penn, Politics and Conscience - Mary Maples Dunn

Scotland and Its First American Colony - Ned C. Landsman

The French in North America - W. J. Eccles

Colonial Maryland, A History - Aubrey C. Land

Colonial South Carolina, A History - Robert M. Weir

Albion’s Seed - David Hackett Fischer

El Norte - Carrie Gibson

Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 - Edwin G. Burrows & Mike Wallace

American Colonies: The Settling of North America - Alan Taylor

Before the Revolution: America’s Ancient Pasts - Daniel K. Richter

Welcome to Era 2!

To kick off this season, I will be completing the list of the thirteen British colonies that will rebel in 1775. This includes showing the aftermath of the events of 1676, the merging and unmerging of various colonies, as well as the creation of completely new colonies. This is just the first episode, so this acts as more of a bird’s-eye view.

But don’t worry, each of these colonies will be explored more in depth in later episodes as I dive into local events and the far-reaching, era-spanning phenomena. I will not be neglecting the non-British colonies, as those are pivotal to the history of America, and have their own side of the story to tell.

This era of history is largely overlooked in the AP notes, though it dives deeply into certain aspects of it, but it was vital in the formation of new identities that lead to conflict between the mother countries and the colonies.

So, I have my work cut out for me to fill in those missing pages…

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Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Join the Ride - Magnetic Buzz

Sources

William Penn, Politics and Conscience - Mary Maples Dunn

Scotland and Its First American Colony - Ned C. Landsman

The French in North America - W. J. Eccles

Colonial Maryland, A History - Aubrey C. Land

Colonial South Carolina, A History - Robert M. Weir

Albion’s Seed - David Hackett Fischer

El Norte - Carrie Gibson

Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 - Edwin G. Burrows & Mike Wallace

American Colonies: The Settling of North America - Alan Taylor

Before the Revolution: America’s Ancient Pasts - Daniel K. Richter

This episode will be a little bit different than all of the previous episodes this season. This is a recap and reflection episode. I will provide a brief summary of all of the previous episodes, explore some of the themes that I found, correct some of the misconceptions that I had, and explore how well the AP notes hold up to scrutiny. At the end I also provide a preview for what to expect for the next season.

As this era concludes, I would like to thank all of you that have supported me on this journey on Substack and all other platforms. I hope that as I get better at this podcasting thing that I can continue to provide more and more value to you as listeners. This is a personal project, but seeing the support has definitely made it easier to keep going. I appreciate it, truly.

Next season is slated for January 3, 2025. All extra content in the interim will be posted to Substack only. So, if you want extra content, to read all of the essays I have written, or comment on any of the episodes, please head to missingpages.substack.com.

Thanks for reading Missing Pages! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Talk - Con Davison

In this episode we reach the end of the era. In 1675 and 1676, two major wars overtook nearly all of the English colonies. In Virginia, Nathaniel Bacon created chaos in order to attack nearby Native tribes. What started out as a personal grievance became a full blown rebellion that outlived the origianal leader. In New England, Metacom, also known as Philip, started forging alliances with the surrounding Native tribes to try to put an end to the English menace. This conflict outgrew the original leader as well and led to the bloodiest war on American soil. After these colonial wars conclude, the colonies are left in ruins, and the English crown is forced to intervene.

The end of these wars marks the end of the early colonial period. It is not a clear turning point, though the outcomes of the conflicts start the ball rolling to a new era in colonial life. The AP notes cover these topics fairly well, though, as always, there are always details to bring in. Join me in filling in the missing pages…

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: After the War - Ben Wagner

Sources

Tales from a Revolution - James D. Rice

King Philip’s War - Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Tougias

Mayflower: Voyage, Community, War - Nathaniel Philbrick

American Colonies: The Settling of North America - Alan Taylor

Before the Revolution: America’s Ancient Pasts - Daniel K. Richter

This episode rounds out the series of overview style episodes with an exploration of the violence that permeated this era, especially the 17th century. Religious turmoil led to changing laws, even for the most devout colonies. Wars were perpetrated by and affected everyone the world over. The level of violence is higher than anyone living in America has seen on their shores for over 80 years. The mere act of survival was not guaranteed for a large portion of the populaion. Therefore, it is necessary to use this context to understand the decisions of those in the past.

The AP notes are lacking for most of these conflicts, though that is to be expected. To cover all of these would surely double the amount of curriculum necessary. So I’ll do my part and fill in those missing pages…

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: You Kill Me - The Polarity

Sources

The Barbarous Years - Bernard Bailyn

Crisis and Catastrophe: The Global Crisis of the Seventeenth Century Reconsidered - Geoffrey Parker

“The Battle of Weyanoke Creek”: A Story of the Third Anglo-Powhatan War in Early Carolina - Lars C. Adams

War and Politics: Powhatan Expansionism and the Problem of Native American Warfare - James D. Rice

Tales from a Revolution: Bacon’s Rebellion and the Transformation of Early America - James D. Rice

Before the Revolution: America’s Ancient Pasts - Daniel K. Richter

American Colonies: The Settling of North America - Alan Taylor

This episode covers the most difficult topic to date: slavery. This is a topic that still rouses lots of debate to this day, so I was extra careful to ensure that the facts were straight. I draw the thread of slavery from before Columbus’s journey to slightly after this era charting the transition from servant labor to slave labor. Along the way I discuss how the views of these two types of labor shifted over time and the laws that were enacted to ingrain the practice in society.

The AP notes did not cover this topic very thoroughly, so I had my work cut out for me. Regardless, I think I was able to portray the facts justly and tried to get into the heads of those involved. Join me in this effort to fill in the missing pages…

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Wild Sea - Maya Isacowitz

Sources

The Origins of American Slavery - Betty Wood

American Slavery, American Freedom - Edmund S. Morgan

New England Bound - Wendy Warren

The Barbarous Years - Bernard Bailyn

American Colonies: The Settling of North America - Alan Taylor

Before the Revolution: America’s Ancient Pasts - Daniel K. Richter

On this episode of Missing Pages, I fill out some of the colonies that have been neglected thus far. These are colonies that fall outside the narrative structure of the colonial American story, but are important to that story regardless. These colonies include Maryland, South Carolina, and the entirety of New France.

These colonies are mentioned in my high school notes, but the details are incredibly lacking. These colonies spotlight the diversity of the colonial world and act as a segue to a topic that I have been hinting at and shapes the rest of the American story: slavery.

So come along with me and let’s fill in those missing pages…

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Falling - Gumo

Sources

Colonial Maryland: A History - Aubrey C. Land

Colonial South Carolina: A History - Robert M. Weir

American Colonies: The Settling of North America - Alan Taylor

Before the Revolution: America’s Ancient Pasts - Daniel K. Richter

The French in North America: 1500-1783 - W. J. Eccles