Cuba's 1833 Slave Conspiracy: La Escalera Revealed

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1843-44 La Escalera conspiracy in Cuba, a brutal episode of repression that crushed a suspected slave uprising. They discuss the economic boom of sugar production, the role of the British Slave Trade Suppression Treaty of 1817, the British Mixed Commission in Havana, and the rising fears of a Haitian-style revolt. The conversation centers on the figure of the free black poet and former slave Gabriel de la Concepción Valdés, known as Plácido, who was executed in 1844 for his alleged involvement. Lucas explains how Captain General Leopoldo O'Donnell used torture and mass arrests to extract confessions, leading to the deaths of hundreds of enslaved people and free people of color. The episode also touches on the impact of the Amistad case and the emerging abolitionist movement in Cuba, and reflects on the legacy of La Escalera as a symbol of state terror and resistance. #LaEscalera #Cuba #Plácido #GabrielDeLaConcepciónValdés #LeopoldoO'Donnell #SlaveConspiracy #1844 #Abolition #Slavery #Havana #Sugar #BritishMixedCommission #Amistad #Repression #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo