The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering — Fexingo History

This episode shifts focus to the Senegambia region, a major source of enslaved Africans for the Atlantic trade, yet often overshadowed by the Bights of Benin and Biafra. Lucas and Luna explore the role of the Wolof and Fula kingdoms, the French slave trade from Saint-Louis and Gorée Island, and the infamous 'House of Slaves' door of no return. They discuss how regional politics—like the wars between the Wolof, Serer, and Fula—fed captives to European traders, and how the French Compagnie du Sénégal operated. The episode also examines the fate of enslaved Senegambians in the Americas, particularly in Louisiana and Saint-Domingue, and the legacy of resistance, including the story of the slave ship L'Amitié mutiny in 1790. A nuanced look at a vital but lesser-known chapter of the Atlantic slave trade.

#Senegambia #Wolof #GoreeIsland #FrenchSlaveTrade #SaintLouisSenegal #Fula #SlaveFort #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Louisiana #SaintDomingue #CompagnieDuSenegal #HouseOfSlaves #DoorOfNoReturn #FutaTorro #LAmiteMutiny #History #FexingoHistory #Slavery

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In September 1739, about 20 enslaved people from Kongo, many of them Catholic, gathered near the Stono River in South Carolina. They seized firearms, killed several white colonists, and marched south toward Spanish Florida, gathering recruits along the way. The rebellion, known as the Stono Rebellion, was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies before the American Revolution. Lucas and Luna explore the rebellion's origins in the Kongo Kingdom's civil wars, the role of Catholicism and the Spanish promise of freedom at Fort Mose, and the brutal crackdown that followed. They also examine how the rebellion reshaped South Carolina's slave codes, restricting assemblies, education, and movement. Drawing on recent scholarship, they discuss whether the rebels were influenced by Kongolese military traditions or the example of the Haitian Revolution. Warning: contains descriptions of violence against enslaved people.

#StonoRebellion #Kongo #FortMose #SouthCarolina #SlaveCodes #NegroAct1740 #Catholicism #SpanishFlorida #StonoRiver #1739 #ColonialAmerica #EnslavedResistance #Kongolese #Baptism #SlaveTrade #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticWorld

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In 1812, Cuba came closer than ever to a full-scale slave rebellion, orchestrated by a free black carpenter named José Antonio Aponte. This episode explores the Aponte Rebellion, a conspiracy that aimed to overthrow colonial rule and establish an independent black republic. We trace Aponte's network of free and enslaved Africans, the "Book of Paintings" he used to organize his followers, and the brutal crackdown that followed. The rebellion's suppression led to hundreds of executions and a tightened grip of slavery on the island for decades. We also discuss the influence of the Haitian Revolution and the role of the cabildos de nación — African mutual-aid societies that served as breeding grounds for resistance. Aponte's story is a powerful lens into the intersection of art, religion, and revolutionary politics in the Atlantic world.

#AponteRebellion #JoséAntonioAponte #Cuba #Havana #SlaveRebellion #1812 #HaitianRevolution #Cabildos #BookOfPaintings #Lucumí #Yoruba #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticWorld #ColonialCuba #Slavery #Resistance #AfricanDiaspora

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In 1762, during the Seven Years' War, a British expedition force of over 12,000 men descended on Havana, the pearl of the Spanish Caribbean. After a two-month siege, the city fell, and British occupation lasted nearly a year. But this episode goes beyond the military campaign to a hidden chapter: the massive influx of enslaved Africans brought by the British to rebuild Havana's fortifications and plant sugar. We explore how the British used captured Spanish ships to import over 1,000 slaves from Jamaica and Africa, laying the groundwork for Cuba's explosive sugar boom. We meet figures like Admiral George Pocock and the Earl of Albemarle, and examine the Treaty of Paris 1763, which traded Havana for Florida. Featuring details on the slave trade infrastructure the British left behind, the rapid growth of sugar mills, and the contrast with British Jamaica's already mature slave economy. A story of empire, conquest, and the forced migration that reshaped Cuba.

#Havana1762 #BritishEmpire #SevenYearsWar #Cuba #SlaveTrade #Sugar #GeorgePocock #Albemarle #TreatyOfParis1763 #Florida #Jamaica #MorroCastle #AfricanDiaspora #AtlanticHistory #18thCentury #MilitaryHistory #History #FexingoHistory

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In January 1811, the largest slave uprising in American history erupted just 36 miles upriver from New Orleans. Led by Charles Deslondes, a free mixed-race plantation driver from Saint-Domingue, a force of 200 enslaved men marched toward the city with flags raised and weapons improvised from cane knives and axes. This episode follows the week of terror, the brutal suppression that left over 100 heads mounted on stakes along the river road, and the legal aftermath that tightened Louisiana's slave code. We explore the connections to the Haitian Revolution, the role of the German Coast's unique demographics, and the erasure of the revolt from local memory until recent archaeological work at Destrehan Plantation and the Whitney Plantation memorial. Lucas and Luna also discuss the controversy over white abolitionist involvement and compare the revolt's scale to other American slave uprisings.

#GermanCoastUprising #1811SlaveRevolt #CharlesDeslondes #Louisiana #HaitianRevolution #DestrehanPlantation #WhitneyPlantation #AndryPlantation #MississippiRiver #NewOrleans #SlaveRevolt #UnitedStatesHistory #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade #SlaveResistance #FreePeopleOfColor #StDomingue #MiddlePassage #Slavery

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This episode explores the aftermath of Britain's 1807 Abolition Act, examining how the world's most powerful slave-trading nation attempted to enforce its ban on the high seas. Lucas and Luna discuss the establishment of the West Africa Squadron, the diplomatic pressures on other nations, the creation of the Mixed Commission courts in Freetown, and the brutal reality of the illegal slave trade that persisted for decades. They delve into the economic consequences for British Caribbean colonies, the shift towards 'legitimate commerce' in West Africa, and the moral contradictions of British anti-slavery policy. Specific figures like Sir George Collier, Thomas Fowell Buxton, and the infamous slave ship Clara are highlighted. The episode also touches on the controversial 'Right of Search' and its role in Anglo-American tensions, culminating in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842.

#AbolitionAct1807 #WestAfricaSquadron #SlaveTradeAct #MixedCommission #Freetown #SirGeorgeCollier #ThomasFowellBuxton #SlaveShipClara #RightOfSearch #WebsterAshburtonTreaty #IllegalSlaveTrade #RoyalNavy #BritishEmpire #SierraLeone #LegitimateCommerce #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade #MiddlePassage #Slavery

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In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the end of slavery at the Cape of Good Hope, a story often overshadowed by events in the Caribbean. They discuss the unique social structure of Cape slavery, shaped by the Dutch East India Company, with slaves from Madagascar, South Asia, and Indonesia. They delve into the 1808 slave trade abolition, the British takeover, Ordinance 50 of 1828 granting rights to Khoisan, and the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act. The episode highlights the 1834-1838 apprenticeship system, the emotional moment of emancipation in 1838, and the economic impact on Cape farmers. It also touches on the slave code, the 'drostdy' courts, and the lives of enslaved people like 'January' and 'Cupido' who sought freedom through the courts. The episode ends with a reflection on the legacy of slavery in South Africa and the challenges of post-abolition society.

#CapeColony #SlaveryAbolition #BritishEmpire #CapeSlaves #Ordinance50 #ApprenticeshipSystem #Khoisan #DutchEastIndiaCompany #Emancipation1838 #SouthAfricanHistory #SlaveTradeAbolition1808 #CapeTown #SlaveCode #Madagascar #India #MalaySlaves #FexingoHistory #History #AtlanticSlaveTrade #MiddlePassage

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In 1733, the Danish island of St. John in the Virgin Islands erupted in one of the longest and most brutal slave revolts in Caribbean history. For nearly a year, enslaved Akwamu people from present-day Ghana seized control of the island's forts and plantations, holding out against Danish, French, and British forces. This episode traces the revolt from its careful planning during a Christmas party to the final stand at a plantation called Mary's Point, where dozens chose suicide over recapture. We explore the Akwamu's military tactics, their failed negotiations with the Danish governor, and the gruesome reprisals that followed—including the use of breaking on the wheel. Why did the revolt succeed for so long? What role did the island's rugged terrain and absentee plantation owners play? And how did the Danish authorities eventually crush the rebellion with help from French Martinique? This is the story of a desperate bid for freedom that ended in tragedy but left a deep mark on Danish colonial history.

#1733SlaveRevolt #StJohn #DanishWestIndies #Akwamu #SlaveRebellion #VirginIslands #CaribbeanHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade #ColonialDenmark #MarysPoint #BreakingOnTheWheel #PlantationSociety #CoralBay #AkwamuRevolt #DanishSlaveTrade #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #MiddlePassage #Slavery

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In November 1841, the American slave ship Creole was transporting 135 enslaved people from Virginia to New Orleans when Madison Washington led a daring mutiny that would ignite an international crisis. This episode explores the rebellion itself, the complex motivations of its leader, the legal showdown in the Bahamas where British authorities granted freedom to the mutineers, and the ensuing diplomatic firestorm between the United States and Britain. We delve into how the Creole case tested the limits of American slavery law, exposed the fragility of the slaveholding system, and foreshadowed the tensions that would lead to the Civil War. Drawing on firsthand accounts and legal documents, we examine the battle over jurisdiction, the role of the British West India Squadron, and the lasting impact on US-British relations. Join Lucas and Luna as they unpack this dramatic story of resistance, law, and the high seas.

#CreoleRebellion #MadisonWashington #SlaveShipMutiny #Nassau #Bahamas #BritishWestIndiaSquadron #DanielWebster #JohnTyler #WebsterAshburtonTreaty #AmericanSlaveTrade #CoastalSlaveTrade #DomesticSlaveTrade #19thCentury #1840s #Slavery #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticWorld #AtlanticSlaveTrade #MiddlePassage

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In 1831, tens of thousands of enslaved people in Jamaica rose up in what became known as the Baptist War, or the Christmas Rebellion. Led by the charismatic preacher Samuel Sharpe, a literate enslaved man who was a deacon in the Baptist Church, the rebellion drew on a network of Black Baptist leaders across the island. The revolt began with a peaceful strike after Christmas, but quickly escalated into widespread destruction of plantations. British forces, including the West India Regiment and Maroon militias, crushed the rebellion within weeks. But the aftermath was transformative: the revolt directly hastened the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. This episode explores the events of the rebellion, Sharpe's vision, the role of missionary Christianity, and the debates it sparked in Britain about emancipation.

#BaptistWar #SamuelSharpe #ChristmasRebellion #Jamaica #SlaveRevolt #Abolition #SlaveryAbolitionAct1833 #BlackBaptist #MontegoBay #WestIndiaRegiment #Maroons #GreatHouse #StJames #ThomasBuxton #WilliamWilberforce #History #AtlanticSlaveTrade #FexingoHistory #MiddlePassage #Slavery

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