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

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into a brutal chapter of the transatlantic slave trade that's often glossed over: the African wars that supplied the captives. They focus on the Kingdom of Dahomey and its conquest of Whydah in 1727, a campaign that reshaped the slave trade on the West African coast. Lucas explains how Dahomey, under King Agaja, turned slave raiding into a state-sponsored enterprise, capturing thousands of war captives for European traders at the coast. The conversation touches on the role of female soldiers, the infamous 'Amazon' corps, and the broader political chess game between Dahomey, Oyo, and European powers like Portugal and France. They also discuss the moral complexity of African kings participating in the trade, and how the wealth from selling humans transformed Dahomey into a regional superpower. Luna asks about the difference between coastal kingdoms and inland states, and Lucas clarifies how the slave trade's violence was not just European. The episode ends with a reflective note on how we remember the victims, not just the systems, and a brief mention of listener support. #Dahomey #Whydah #Agaja #SlaveTrade #WestAfrica #Oyo #Ouidah #1727 #AfricanHistory #RoyalAfricanCompany #AtlanticHistory #Slavery #FrenchTrade #PortugueseTrade #AmazonCorps #FexingoHistory #History #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In Episode 202 of The Atlantic Slave Trade, Lucas and Luna explore a side of the transatlantic trade that rarely makes the headlines: the internal African politics that fueled it. They look at the Kingdom of Dahomey, where King Agaja's wars turned captives into commodities, and the role of the Oyo Empire, whose cavalry raids fed the coastal markets. They discuss the controversial figure of Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba, who fought the Portuguese yet traded in slaves, and the complex economics of the Aro Confederacy's Long Juju oracle. Along the way, they touch on the impact of European goods like cowrie shells and manillas, and the moral compromises of African leaders. This episode offers a nuanced look at the agency and tragedy of African states within a system of global exploitation. #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Dahomey #Agaja #OyoEmpire #QueenNzinga #Ndongo #Matamba #AroConfederacy #LongJuju #CowrieShells #Manillas #AfricanHistory #SlaveTrade #17thCentury #18thCentury #WestAfrica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

While the Atlantic slave trade dominates memory, a parallel system moved millions of Africans across the Indian Ocean, from the Swahili Coast to Arabia, Persia, and India. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the lesser-known Indian Ocean slave trade: its ancient roots, its scale, the rise of Omani power in Zanzibar, and the brutal clove plantations that fueled it. They follow the routes, the merchants, the enslaved — people like the African soldiers who became generals in India, and the women who served in Ottoman harems. They discuss the key difference: the Indian Ocean trade was not race-based but status-based, and enslaved people could rise to positions of power. They also touch on the British abolition efforts in the east, the slow end of the trade, and its lasting legacies in the diaspora of the Sidi in Gujarat and the Sheedi in Pakistan. #IndianOceanSlaveTrade #SwahiliCoast #Zanzibar #Oman #Said bin Sultan #MiddlePassage #Sidi #Sheedi #SlaveryInIndia #ArabSlaveTrade #ClovePlantations #TippuTip #BritishAbolition #EastAfrica #WorldHistory #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this special 200th episode, Lucas and Luna explore the hidden financial machinery behind the Atlantic slave trade, focusing on the role of insurance companies in Liverpool and London. They discuss how underwriters like Lloyd's of London profited from the trade, the infamous Zong massacre insurance claim, and the broader economic networks of banks and investors. The episode examines the concept of 'insurance as risk management' versus 'insurance as moral hazard,' and reflects on the legacy of these financial practices in modern capitalism. #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Insurance #LloydsOfLondon #ZongMassacre #Liverpool #London #18thCentury #19thCentury #Slavery #Finance #Capitalism #Risk #Underwriting #GregsonGilbert #SlaveShip #MiddlePassage #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In January 1811, over 500 enslaved people armed with cane knives and muskets marched from the plantations of Louisiana's German Coast toward New Orleans. Led by Charles Deslondes, a mixed-race slave driver inspired by the Haitian Revolution, the uprising was one of the largest in American history—yet it was crushed within two days. This episode examines the revolt's causes, its brutal suppression under General Wade Hampton, and its aftermath: a wave of executions, heads on pikes, and harsh new restrictions on Black and free people of color. Lucas and Luna trace the route of the march, the role of Maroon communities, and the question of why this revolt is so little known today. A story of courage, terror, and the deep roots of resistance in the antebellum South. #GermanCoastUprising #CharlesDeslondes #Louisiana #NewOrleans #HaitianRevolution #SlaveRebellion #WadeHampton #Maroons #AndryPlantation #1811 #Antebellum #Slavery #Resistance #USHistory #History #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory #Americana Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1788, an engraved diagram of the slave ship Brookes shocked Britain and changed the course of the abolition movement. This episode unpacks the story behind that image — from the ship's actual voyages and the cramped 'platforming' layout of its hold, to the artists and abolitionists who turned a brutal blueprint into political dynamite. We follow the diagram from its first publication through its use by Thomas Clarkson, William Wilberforce, and the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and see how it made the abstract horror of the Middle Passage viscerally real. Lucas and Luna also explore the limitations of the image — what it showed, what it hid, and how it shaped public perception of slavery. A story of data, empathy, and the power of a single image to move a nation. #Brookes #SlaveShip #MiddlePassage #Abolition #ThomasClarkson #WilliamWilberforce #1788 #Liverpool #SlaveTrade #Diagram #Platforming #SocietyForEffect #Abolitionist #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade #BritishAbolition #VisualCulture Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1787, a young man named John Newton wrote a pamphlet that would help ignite the British abolition movement. But Newton was no outsider to the slave trade — he had been captain of a slave ship called the Duke of Argyle. His conversion to Christianity and his eventual public confession became a powerful weapon in the hands of campaigners like Granville Sharp and Thomas Clarkson. This episode traces Newton's journey from slave trader to repentant minister, examines the contradictions of his legacy, and reveals how his testimony — along with a series of horrific massacres on slave ships — began to turn the tide of public opinion. We'll look at the Zong case, the rise of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and the Parliamentary inquiry that Newton testified to, all of which paved the way for the 1807 Abolition Act. It's a story of moral awakening, but also of how one man's guilt helped expose an empire's shame. #JohnNewton #SlaveTrade #Abolition #DukeOfArgyle #ZongMassacre #GranvilleSharp #ThomasClarkson #1807Abolition #AmazingGrace #Britain #18thCentury #MiddlePassage #History #FexingoHistory #Slavery #Repentance #Testimony #Parliament Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the humble cowrie shell from the Maldives to the coasts of West Africa, where it became the currency that oiled the Atlantic slave trade. They explore how the shell's value was manufactured in the Indian Ocean, shipped in vast quantities by European companies, and how its inflation quietly devalued African economies. The conversation also covers the metal manillas of the Bight of Biafra, the role of the Royal African Company in flooding markets, and the lasting consequences—how these currencies shaped the 'Scramble for Africa' and left economic scars that persist today. Through specific numbers, dates, and the voices of traders like Olaudah Equiano, the hosts reveal a hidden economic engine of human suffering. #cowrieshells #manillas #AtlanticSlaveTrade #AfricanCurrency #EconomicHistory #Maldives #IndianOceanTrade #RoyalAfricanCompany #BightofBiafra #OlaudahEquiano #ScrambleForAfrica #SlaveryEconomics #WestAfrica #GlobalTrade #History #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1817, as the Second Seminole War smoldered in Spanish Florida, a fugitive slave named Nero led a desperate uprising at Fort Blount on the Apalachicola River. The fort, built by the British and occupied by a multiracial community of maroons and Seminoles, was attacked by a United States force under Colonel Duncan Clinch. Nero's rebellion was crushed, the fort destroyed, and the survivors sold back into slavery. This episode follows Nero's path from a Georgia plantation to the frontier, the geopolitics of the seminole wars, and the brutal reprisal that erased the fort from history. It is a story of resistance, tragedy, and the long reach of slavery into America's borderlands. #FortBlount #Nero #SeminoleWars #Maroons #ApalachicolaRiver #SpanishFlorida #DuncanClinch #SlaveRebellion #SecondSeminoleWar #1817 #Georgia #FugitiveSlaves #NegroFort #Frontier #Slavery #Resistance #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Before the famous Supreme Court case, the Amistad captives spent months in a Connecticut jail while lawyers fought over their fate. This episode follows the men and women who were kidnapped from West Africa, sold in Havana, and seized control of the schooner La Amistad in July 1839. We trace their journey from the barracoons of Lomboko to the trial that captivated America — and the unlikely alliance of abolitionists and former president John Quincy Adams that secured their freedom. We explore the roles of Spanish slavers José Ruiz and Pedro Montez, the U.S. Navy officers who claimed salvage, and the interpreter James Covey, whose testimony broke the case apart. And we reflect on what the ruling — and its aftermath — meant for the enslaved and for the nation on the eve of civil war. #Amistad #SengbePieh #Cinqué #LaAmistad #JohnQuincyAdams #MiddlePassage #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Cuba #Abolitionism #1839 #SupremeCourt #SlaveRevolt #USHistory #MaritimeLaw #JamesCovey #Lomboko #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In January 1835, a group of enslaved Muslims in Salvador da Bahia rose up against their captors in one of the most significant urban slave rebellions in the Americas. Led by Hausa and Yoruba men, many of them literate in Arabic, the revolt was planned in secret, fueled by religious fervor and a longing for freedom. This episode unpacks the Malê revolt, from its origins in West African jihad and the transatlantic slave trade to the brutal suppression and its lasting impact on Brazilian society. We follow figures like Pacífico Licutan and Manuel Calafate, explore the role of Muslim networks and amulets, and examine how the rebellion reshaped the city's racial and religious landscape. Drawing on Brazilian archives and recent scholarship, we delve into the fears it stirred among slaveholders and the legacies it left in the African diaspora. #MalêRevolt #SalvadorDaBahia #MuslimSlaves #BrazilianHistory #SlaveRebellion #Hausa #Yoruba #AfricanDiaspora #SlaveTrade #Brazil1820s #IslamInBrazil #Uprising #Resistance #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticWorld #Slavery #FreedomFighters Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the brutal mechanics of the Middle Passage—the transatlantic journey that carried millions of enslaved Africans to the Americas. They discuss the infamous Brookes slave ship diagram, the cramped conditions that defined the hold, the high mortality rates among both captives and crew, and the psychological terror of the voyage. The episode highlights the resilience of the enslaved, the horrors of shipboard revolts, and the specific routes that made the crossing so deadly. They also touch on the role of European ports like Liverpool and Nantes, the financial backers of the trade, and the often-overlooked African suppliers. With a focus on human experience over statistics, the hosts bring to life the voices of those who survived—from Olaudah Equiano to the anonymous millions whose stories are etched in the sea. #MiddlePassage #SlaveTrade #BrookesDiagram #OlaudahEquiano #Liverpool #Nantes #TransatlanticSlaveTrade #History #Slavery #ShipRevolt #Mortality #AfricanHistory #AtlanticWorld #Trauma #Resilience #MaritimeHistory #1807Abolition #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the banks, insurers, and merchants whose fortunes were built on the slave trade, tracing the financial networks that stretched from Liverpool and Bristol to London, Lisbon, and beyond. They explore how institutions like Barclays and Lloyd's of London have roots in this brutal commerce, the role of the Royal African Company, and the speculative ventures that financed voyages. The conversation touches on the complex involvement of African kingdoms, the shift from trading in goods to trading in people, and the moral compromises made by those who profited. Lucas also discusses the economic aftermath, including how compensation for slave owners influenced British investment in infrastructure, and reflects on the ongoing debate over reparations. The episode closes with a thoughtful meditation on how acknowledging this history might shape our understanding of modern capitalism. #AtlanticSlaveTrade #FinancialHistory #Liverpool #RoyalAfricanCompany #LloydsOfLondon #BarclaysBank #SlaveryCompensation #Capitalism #BritishEmpire #17thCentury #18thCentury #OlaudahEquiano #SouthSeaCompany #BankOfEngland #Reparations #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In January 1835, a group of enslaved Africans in Salvador, Bahia, rose up in the largest urban slave revolt in Brazil's history. Many were Malê—Muslims from the Hausa and Yoruba regions—who carried amulets with Quranic verses and coordinated their attack across the city. This episode unpacks the revolt's planning, its brutal suppression, and the surprising legal records that survive today. We look at the wider context of Bahia's Atlantic world, where free and enslaved Muslims navigated a society that tolerated their religion but feared their literacy. We also trace the aftermath: mass executions, deportations, and a wave of anti-Muslim panic that reshaped Brazilian slavery. How did a community of enslaved scholars nearly topple a colonial capital? And why did their story fade from memory? Join Lucas and Luna as they piece together the fragile evidence and the echoes of a rebellion that shook the foundations of the Brazilian empire. #MaleRevolt #SalvadorBahia #BrazilianSlavery #MuslimSlaves #Hausa #Yoruba #QuranicAmulets #1835 #EmpireOfBrazil #AtlanticWorld #SlaveResistance #Candomble #IslamInBrazil #History #FexingoHistory #SlaveTrade #UrbanRevolt #ColonialBrazil Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1739, along the Stono River in South Carolina, a group of enslaved Africans launched the largest slave revolt in British North America. Led by a man known as Cato, likely of Kongolese origin and Catholic faith, around sixty slaves seized weapons, burned plantations, and marched toward Spanish Florida, where freedom was promised. The rebellion was brutally suppressed, but it left a lasting mark: the Negro Act of 1740, one of the harshest slave codes in the colonies. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the motivations, the leaders, the bloody suppression, and the legacy of the Stono Rebellion, examining how this brief uprising reshaped slavery in the American South. They also discuss the role of Kongolese traditions and Spanish promises of asylum, and the enduring question of resistance under oppression. #StonoRebellion #History #SlaveRevolt #ColonialAmerica #SouthCarolina #1739 #Slavery #NegroAct #Cato #Kongolese #SpanishFlorida #RicePlantations #BritishColonies #AtlanticSlaveTrade #FexingoHistory #Podcast #AmericanHistory #Resistance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

How a 30-year monopoly contract to supply enslaved Africans to Spanish America turned into one of the most corrupt business deals of the 18th century. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the asiento de negros, the Treaty of Utrecht, and the South Sea Company's role in trafficking human beings. They trace the route from the slave castles of West Africa to the auction blocks of Cartagena and Veracruz, and reveal how the asiento's failure to deliver its promised quotas led to smuggling, war, and the eventual collapse of the company in the South Sea Bubble. Along the way, they discuss the lasting impact on Spanish colonial demographics and the brutal efficiency of the slave trade's monopoly system. #AsientoDeNegros #TreatyOfUtrecht #SouthSeaCompany #SpanishSlaveTrade #CartagenaDeIndias #Veracruz #Havana #RoyalAfricanCompany #SouthSeaBubble #PhilipV #QueenAnne #SlaveTradeMonopoly #1713 #AtlanticSlaveTrade #History #FexingoHistory #ColonialLatinAmerica #AfricanDiaspora Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

This episode explores the Aro Confederacy, a powerful merchant network that dominated the slave trade in the Bight of Biafra for over two centuries. Based at the oracle town of Arochukwu in present-day Nigeria, the Aro used the Ibini Ukpabi oracle—the Long Juju—to gain religious and economic control over surrounding communities. Lucas and Luna discuss how Aro merchants integrated into the Atlantic system, trading slaves for European goods via coastal ports like Bonny and Calabar. They examine the Aro's sophisticated trade diaspora, their use of manilla currency, and their role as middlemen between the hinterland and the coast. The episode also covers the 1901-1902 British punitive expedition that crushed Aro power, and the lasting impact on southeastern Nigerian societies. A conversation about African agency, collaboration, and the complex human networks that fueled the slave trade. #AroConfederacy #Arochukwu #IbiniUkpabi #LongJuju #BightOfBiafra #SlaveTrade #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Nigeria #IgboHistory #AfricanHistory #Colonialism #BritishEmpire #ManillaCurrency #Bonny #Calabar #TradeDiaspora #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In the early 16th century, the Kingdom of Kongo in Central Africa became one of the first African states to embrace Christianity. But its king, Afonso I, soon found himself trapped between faith and the relentless demands of the Portuguese slave trade. In a series of remarkable letters to King Manuel I of Portugal, Afonso pleaded for control over the trade that was ravaging his kingdom — and threatened to sever ties if his pleas went unheard. This episode explores the rise of Kongo under Afonso, its diplomatic struggle with Portugal, and the tragic irony of a Christian monarch who fought to save his people from the very system his European allies had unleashed. We delve into the letters, the politics, and the legacy of a ruler who tried to halt the Atlantic slave trade from within. #Kongo #AfonsoI #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Christianity #Portugal #MbanzaKongo #SaoSalvador #SlaveTrade #AfricanHistory #Colonialism #FexingoHistory #History #KingNzinga #16thCentury #CentralAfrica #Missionaries #Slavery #Resistance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1781, the British slave ship Zong set sail from Africa to Jamaica. When a navigation error led to a water shortage, Captain Luke Collingwood ordered 133 enslaved Africans thrown overboard alive. But this was no act of desperation—it was an insurance fraud. The subsequent 1783 court case, Gregson v. Gilbert, centered not on murder but on whether the lost 'cargo' was covered by maritime insurance. Lord Mansfield's ruling that it was 'as if horses' were thrown overboard sparked outrage. Abolitionist Granville Sharp and former enslaved writer Olaudah Equiano seized on the case, using it to galvanize public opinion. This episode unpacks the details: the massacre, the trial, and how a cold calculation of profit turned into a watershed moment for the abolition movement. We follow the legal arguments, the insurers' refusal to pay, and the shocking testimony that revealed the scale of the atrocity. The Zong case did not end the slave trade, but it stripped away any pretense that the Middle Passage was anything other than a vessel of death—and gave the abolitionists their most powerful weapon yet. #ZongMassacre #SlaveShip #InsuranceFraud #LordMansfield #GranvilleSharp #OlaudahEquiano #GregsonvGilbert #BritishAbolition #MiddlePassage #1781 #CaptainCollingwood #MaritimeInsurance #History #FexingoHistory #SlaveTrade #AbolitionMovement #Jamaica #AfricanDiaspora Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Between the ban on importation in 1808 and the Civil War, over a million enslaved people were forcibly moved from the Upper South to the Deep South in what historian Ira Berlin called the Second Middle Passage. This episode explores the mechanics of that internal trade: the coffle lines of chained men, women, and children walking from Virginia to Mississippi; the sprawling slave-trading empire of Franklin & Armfield based in Alexandria; the bustling New Orleans market; and the relentless destruction of families. Lucas and Luna discuss the human cost of this massive forced migration, the businessmen who profited, and the terror of being 'sold down the river.' They also touch on the legal framework that enabled the trade and the rare acts of resistance it spawned. A harrowing chapter in American history that is often overshadowed by the international slave trade. #SecondMiddlePassage #DomesticSlaveTrade #FranklinAndArmfield #IsaacFranklin #JohnArmfield #Coffle #ForksOfTheRoad #Alexandria #NewOrleans #SoldDownTheRiver #IraBerlin #AntebellumSouth #Slavery #AmericanHistory #FexingoHistory #History #SlaveTrade #19thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In November 1841, 135 enslaved people aboard the brig Creole revolted on the high seas, killing one slave trader and forcing the crew to sail to Nassau, Bahamas. There, British officials granted them asylum, sparking a major diplomatic crisis between the United States and Britain. Lucas and Luna explore the story of Madison Washington, the charismatic leader of the revolt; the legal battles over property rights versus freedom; and the controversial Webster-Ashburton Treaty that followed. This episode examines how a single mutiny challenged the foundations of American slavery and tested international law, revealing the stark divide between British abolitionism and American slaveholding interests. #CreoleRebellion #MadisonWashington #Nassau #WebsterAshburtonTreaty #SlaveRevolt #AtlanticSlaveTrade #1841 #BritishAbolition #AmericanSlavery #JohnCClahoun #FrancisCockburn #Bahamas #MaritimeHistory #Abolitionism #DiplomaticCrisis #FexingoHistory #History #Slavery Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1812, enslaved Africans on the Danish colony of St. Jan (now St. John, US Virgin Islands) rose up against their Danish and Dutch planters in one of the earliest large-scale revolts in the Caribbean. This episode explores the revolt's leaders, including the enslaved man Budhoe, the conspiracy that spread across the island, and the brutal Danish military response. We discuss the Crown's last-minute abolition of the slave trade in 1803, the economic pressures from the Napoleonic Wars, and how this uprising foreshadowed larger rebellions to come. The episode also covers the aftermath: hundreds of rebels were captured, tried by a Danish-Norwegian court, and executed or sold away. We look at the legacy of the revolt in Virgin Islands history, including its relative obscurity compared to other Caribbean slave rebellions. #1812SlaveRevolt #StJohn #DanishVirginIslands #Budhoe #CaribbeanHistory #SlaveRebellion #DanishWestIndies #NapoleonicWars #SlaveTradeAbolition #StCroix #StThomas #CharlotteAmalie #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticWorld #Emancipation #ColonialDenmark #Resistance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In December 1831, tens of thousands of enslaved Jamaicans rose up in what became the largest slave rebellion in British Caribbean history. Led by Samuel Sharpe, a literate enslaved Baptist deacon, the rebellion involved coordinated strikes, burnings, and armed resistance across the western parishes of Jamaica. British forces, backed by local militias, brutally suppressed the uprising within two weeks, executing hundreds and burning churches and homes. But the rebellion—and its violent suppression—had a seismic effect on the British abolitionist movement. This episode explores the events of the Baptist War, the role of missionary Christianity in fomenting resistance, the tactical delusions of the rebels, and the legacy of Sharpe, who was hanged but later became a National Hero of Jamaica. We also examine the counterpoint of Thomas Thistlewood, a notoriously sadistic slave owner whose diary reveals the everyday horrors of Jamaican plantation life. Drawing on the latest scholarship, we ask: did the Christmas Rebellion actually accelerate emancipation? #SamuelSharpe #ChristmasRebellion #BaptistWar #Jamaica #SlaveRevolt #Abolition #1831 #MontegoBay #StJamesParish #WilloughbyCotton #MarquisofSligo #ThomasThistlewood #SecondMaroonWar #Cudjoe #BritishEmpire #Slavery #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, we explore how Brazil's 19th-century coffee boom fueled a brutal resurgence of the transatlantic slave trade even as Britain pressed for abolition. We trace the rise of the Paraíba Valley coffee plantations, the illegal slave imports that continued after the 1831 Feijó Law, and the role of the African Squadron in intercepting slavers. We also meet Manoel Congo, an enslaved African who led a revolt on a coffee plantation in 1839, and examine the 1850 Eusébio de Queirós Law that finally ended Brazil's slave trade. A specific, human-scale look at the intersection of commodity capitalism and human suffering. #CoffeeBoom #BrazilSlaveTrade #ParaíbaValley #ManoelCongo #FeijóLaw #EusébioDeQueirósLaw #AfricanSquadron #SlaveRevolt #1830s #AtlanticSlaveTrade #BrazilianHistory #CoffeePlantations #IllegalSlaveTrade #MiddlePassage #Resistance #Abolition #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1820 Treaty of London, in which the United States and Britain agreed to treat the international slave trade as piracy—a crime punishable by death. They trace the diplomatic maneuvering that led to this landmark agreement, the role of President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, and the British push for mutual search rights at sea. The conversation examines how the treaty was enforced, including the creation of the U.S. Africa Squadron and the mixed commission courts in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. But Lucas also unpacks the treaty's limits: it only applied to the ocean, not to the domestic slave trade within the U.S., and it did little to stop illegal slavers who ran faster ships or used false flags. The episode highlights the careers of naval officers like Captain Matthew C. Perry and the cat-and-mouse game between the squadron and slavers. It also touches on the ironic fact that while the U.S. and Britain declared the trade piracy, neither nation would free the enslaved people rescued from captured ships—they were often turned over to local colonial authorities. A nuanced look at a forgotten diplomatic milestone that was both a moral victory and a practical failure. #SlaveTrade #TreatyOfLondon1820 #Piracy #JohnQuincyAdams #JamesMonroe #AfricaSquadron #MixedCommissionCourts #MatthewPerry #SierraLeone #RoyalNavy #Abolition #19thCentury #AtlanticWorld #Diplomacy #MaritimeHistory #IllegalSlaveTrade #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Behind every cargo of enslaved Africans stood a captain — part merchant, part navigator, part brutal enforcer. In this episode, Lucas and Luna peel back the logbooks to explore the men who commanded the Middle Passage: their training, their daily routines, their profit margins, and the psychological toll of overseeing human cargo. They examine the career of Captain John Newton, the former slave trader who later became an abolitionist and wrote 'Amazing Grace,' and contrast him with lesser-known figures like Captain James Fraser, who kept meticulous records of mortality and discipline. The conversation covers the hierarchy aboard a slaver — from captain to surgeon to first mate — and how risk was distributed across investors, insurers, and the crew. They also touch on the infamous Zong massacre, where a captain justified throwing 132 enslaved people overboard to collect insurance, and the legal and moral debates that followed. This episode offers a granular look at the men who ran the slave trade, not as monsters or saints, but as products of a brutal economic system that devalued human life. #SlaveShipCaptains #MiddlePassage #JohnNewton #AmazingGrace #ZongMassacre #JamesFraser #LloydsCoffeeHouse #RoyalAfricanCompany #SlaveTrade #18thCenturyMaritime #CaptainLogbooks #Abolition #BritishEmpire #AtlanticHistory #MaritimeHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Slavery Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked culinary history of the Middle Passage — what enslaved Africans ate during their forced journey across the Atlantic, and how those provisions shaped survival, rebellion, and diaspora food cultures. They focus on the specific foods prescribed by 18th-century slave ship regulations: the Dolben Act of 1788 and subsequent laws that mandated rations like rice, yams, beans, and dried fish. Lucas explains how these items were chosen for nutritional and economic reasons, but also how the monotony and scarcity of food led to malnutrition, disease, and resistance. The conversation dives into the role of yams from West Africa, the introduction of cassava from Brazil, and the surprising fact that some ship captains deliberately reduced rations to increase profits. Lucas connects this to the broader story of how African food traditions — like okra, black-eyed peas, and palm oil — later merged with New World ingredients to create iconic dishes in the Caribbean, Brazil, and the American South. The episode ends with a reflection on food as a form of cultural memory and defiance. #History #FexingoHistory #MiddlePassage #SlaveShipFood #DolbenAct #CuisineOfSurvival #SlaveTrade #Yams #Cassava #Okra #BlackEyedPeas #PalmOil #AfricanDiaspora #FoodHistory #Resistance #SierraLeone #BightOfBenin #AtlanticWorld Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1835, enslaved Muslims in Salvador, Brazil, rose up in one of the most audacious urban revolts in the Americas. Known as the Malê Revolt, it was led by Hausa and Yoruba men who wrote their plans in Arabic script, coordinated through prayer networks, and fought with religious conviction. This episode explores how the transatlantic slave trade brought Islam to Bahia, how enslaved Africans maintained their faith under bondage, and how the revolt's brutal suppression reshaped Brazilian society. We follow the revolt from its planning in the homes of Alufás (Muslim teachers) to the street battles in the city center, and examine why the rebels saw themselves as mujahideen fighting a holy war. Along the way, we confront a lesser-known chapter of the slave trade: the Muslim diaspora that challenged both slaveholders and colonial authorities. #MaleRevolt #Brazil #Salvador #Bahia #Hausa #Yoruba #Alufa #Islam #AtlanticSlaveTrade #SlaveRevolt #MuslimDiaspora #1835 #History #FexingoHistory #BightOfBenin #Jeje #Nago #Resistance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Before the kingdom of Dahomey fell to French colonialism, its army included a corps of several thousand women soldiers — the Agooji, or Dahomey Amazons. This episode traces their origins in the 17th century under King Houegbadja, their evolution into elite shock troops under King Ghezo, and their final stand against French artillery in 1892. We explore how they were recruited, trained, and armed, how they lived in the royal palace, and how European visitors like Sir Richard Burton and John Duncan described them with a mix of awe and horror. We also confront the uncomfortable truth that these warrior women fought to defend a kingdom that thrived on the slave trade — and were themselves used as slave catchers. Their story is one of extraordinary courage tangled in a deeply violent system. Featuring the military tactics of King Ghezo, the fortress of Abomey, and the French commander Alfred Dodds. #DahomeyAmazons #Agooji #WestAfrica #KingGhezo #KingdomOfDahomey #Benin #Abomey #AlfredDodds #FemaleWarriors #SlaveTrade #FrenchColonialism #19thCentury #MilitaryHistory #SirRichardBurton #AfricanHistory #WomenInHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The story of the Saltwater Railroad—a term used to describe the covert maritime routes enslaved people took to escape bondage in the American South to freedom in the Bahamas and beyond. This episode focuses on the remarkable figure of Richard Barnard, a free Black fisherman from Charleston who risked his life piloting runaways through the treacherous waters of the Intracoastal Waterway. We explore the geography of escape: the Sea Islands, the Gulf Stream, and the British colonial outposts in the Bahamas that offered a chance at liberty after the 1818 Treaty of Ghent. Barnard's first-person account, preserved in a rare 1840s deposition, reveals the intricate logistics: hiding refugees under fishing nets, navigating by night, and the coded language of the maritime underground. We also examine the legal limbo of 'freedom by water' after the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and the quiet complicity of Black and white sailors who formed an unlikely brotherhood of resistance. This is a forgotten chapter of the Underground Railroad—one that unfolded on the open sea. #SaltwaterRailroad #RichardBarnard #UndergroundRailroad #MaritimeEscape #Bahamas #FugitiveSlaveAct #IntracoastalWaterway #SeaIslands #GulfStream #TreatyOfGhent #Charleston #BlackSailors #Abolitionism #19thCentury #AmericanSouth #Slavery #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In January 1835, a sweeping slave revolt shook Salvador, Bahia, led by West African Muslims known as Malê. The rebels, literate in Arabic, coordinated using copies of the Quran, and their Uprising drew on deep networks among Hausa and Yoruba speakers from the Bight of Benin. This episode unpacks the revolt's Islamic roots, its brutal suppression, and its aftermath, including how the 1838 Feijó Law and 1850 Eusébio de Queirós Law aimed to dismantle the slave trade. We discuss key figures like Manoel Congo and the role of African-born Muslims in Brazilian resistance. Fexingo History brings you a nuanced look at a rebellion that fused faith, literacy, and a desperate fight for freedom. #MalêRevolt #SalvadorBahia #IslamicSlaveRevolt #1835Brazil #Hausa #Yoruba #Quran #AfricanDiaspora #BrazilianHistory #SlaveResistance #FeijóLaw #EusébioDeQueirós #ManoelCongo #Alufá #BightOfBenin #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

By the 1820s, the British Navy had been patrolling the Atlantic for over a decade, hunting illegal slave ships. But in Brazil, a coffee boom was fueling a new wave of human trafficking. This episode of The Atlantic Slave Trade traces the story of the 'coffee barons' of the Paraíba Valley, the rise of the illegal slave trade after 1831, and the brutal conditions on the coffee plantations that replaced sugar as the engine of slavery. We explore how the British Anti-Slavery Squadron intercepted ships like the 'Providencia' and 'Camões', the diplomatic tensions between Britain and the Brazilian Empire, and the role of African-born slaves like Manoel Congo—who later led a revolt. We also look at the economic forces that kept the trade alive, including the expansion of coffee cultivation into the São Paulo region. A story of shifting commodities, broken treaties, and the relentless pursuit of profit over humanity. #CoffeeBoom #ParaíbaValley #BrazilianSlaveTrade #BritishAntiSlaverySquadron #IllegalSlaveTrade #1831Law #CoffeePlantations #SlaveRevolt #ManoelCongo #Providencia #Camões #SãoPaulo #AfricanBornSlaves #Abolition #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In January 1835, a group of enslaved and freed African Muslims in Salvador, Bahia, staged a carefully planned uprising known as the Malê Revolt. Drawing on shared Islamic faith, literacy in Arabic, and networks of resistance, the rebels—many of them Hausa and Yoruba from the Bight of Benin—moved through the streets before being crushed by government forces. This episode explores how the Malê used religion as a rallying force, how authorities responded with brutal repression, and how the revolt reshaped Brazilian slave policy. We discuss the role of Quranic amulets, the Hausa jihadi context, and the aftermath that ended large-scale uprisings in Brazil. A story of faith, freedom, and the global connections of the slave trade. #MaleRevolt #Brazil #Salvador #Islam #Hausa #Yoruba #AfricanDiaspora #SlaveRevolt #19thCentury #Bahia #Quran #Abolition #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticWorld #Resistance #BrazilianHistory #MuslimSlaves Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1707, Thomas Gaines, a white sailor on the slave ship Elizabeth, led a mutiny after witnessing the brutal murder of an enslaved woman. He and his co-conspirators took control of the ship and sailed it to Boston, where they expected to be hailed as heroes. Instead, they were arrested, tried for piracy, and executed. This episode explores the forgotten story of Gaines, the legal complexities of slave ship mutinies, and how the colonial legal system protected the slave trade even against white abolitionists. We discuss the difference between piracy and justifiable revolt, the role of the Admiralty courts, and why Gaines's actions were deemed more threatening to commerce than the enslavement itself. We also touch on the broader context of anti-slavery sentiment among sailors and the limits of early abolitionist action. #ThomasGaines #SlaveShipMutiny #Elizabeth #1707 #BritishSlaveTrade #Piracy #AdmiraltyCourt #Boston #ColonialMassachusetts #JusticeDenied #Sailors #Abolition #SlaveTrade #History #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory #AtlanticWorld #MaritimeHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In December 1831, the largest slave rebellion in Jamaica's history erupted across the western parishes, led by a Baptist deacon named Samuel Sharpe. This episode follows the planning, the burning of estates, the brutal military response, and the trial that sent Sharpe to the gallows. We explore how the rebellion was fueled by rumors of emancipation, the role of Christian missionaries, and the complex figure of Sharpe himself—an enslaved man who was literate, respected, and willing to die for freedom. The rebellion's aftermath accelerated the abolition of slavery across the British Empire. We discuss the destruction of over 200 properties, the execution of hundreds, and the parliamentary debates that followed. Names include: Samuel Sharpe, Sir Willoughby Cotton, Marquis of Sligo, Thomas Thistlewood's plantation, and the Second Maroon War context. The episode also touches on the controversial question of whether Sharpe was a martyr or a pragmatist, and how his legacy is remembered in modern Jamaica. #SamuelSharpe #ChristmasRebellion #Jamaica #1831 #BaptistWar #Slavery #Abolition #Emancipation #MontegoBay #StJamesParish #WilloughbyCotton #MarquisofSligo #BaptistMissionaries #Martyrdom #CaribbeanHistory #BritishEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1788, a backbench MP named Sir William Dolben steered an unprecedented bill through Parliament: the first law to regulate conditions on British slave ships. This episode traces the Dolben Act from its origins in the abolitionist pamphlet war to its passage amid fierce Liverpool opposition. We look at how Sir William Dolben, guided by Thomas Clarkson's research and James Field Stanfield's testimony, set a maximum number of enslaved people per ship tonnage — a reform that saved thousands of lives, even as critics dubbed it 'the slave trade regulation bill.' We explore the act's limitations, its enforcement, and its legacy as the first parliamentary chink in the slave trade's armor. Along the way, we meet the naval officer-turned-inspector John Reeves, the Liverpool ship owners who evaded the rules, and the African victims whose suffering the law aimed to reduce. A story of incremental change in a brutal system. #SirWilliamDolben #DolbenAct #SlaveTradeRegulation #ThomasClarkson #JamesFieldStanfield #MiddlePassage #Liverpool #WilliamWilberforce #JohnReeves #PrivyCouncil #1788 #Abolition #BritishParliament #SlaveShip #Reform #History #FexingoHistory #18thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the extraordinary life of Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, who was kidnapped from what is now Nigeria as a child, survived the Middle Passage, purchased his own freedom, and became a leading abolitionist in 18th-century Britain. They discuss his enslavement in Virginia and the Caribbean, his service in the Royal Navy, his travels from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, his conversion to Christianity, and his pivotal role in the British abolition movement through his bestselling autobiography, 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African'. The episode delves into the debates over his birthplace, his meeting with Granville Sharp, his involvement in the Sierra Leone settlement, and his campaign to present his book to Parliament. Equiano's story provides a firsthand account of the slave trade's brutality and the resilience of those who fought against it. #OlaudahEquiano #GustavusVassa #MiddlePassage #BritishAbolition #AtlanticSlaveTrade #InterestingNarrative #GranvilleSharp #SierraLeone #RoyalNavy #Igbo #Virginia #Montserrat #Philadelphia #FexingoHistory #History #18thCentury #Slavery #Abolitionism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1839, fifty-three Africans aboard the Spanish schooner La Amistad staged a desperate revolt, killing the captain and taking control of the ship. They demanded to be sailed back to Sierra Leone, but were instead tricked into American waters, where they were captured and put on trial for piracy and murder. This episode tells the story of the revolt, the legal battle that followed, and the extraordinary coalition of abolitionists, including former president John Quincy Adams, who fought for their freedom. We explore the roles of Joseph Cinqué, the Mende leader of the revolt; the complex legal arguments over property rights and natural law; and the eventual Supreme Court victory that allowed thirty-five survivors to return to Africa. The Amistad case became a symbol of resistance and a turning point in the American abolitionist movement, challenging the foundations of the slave trade and international law. #Amistad #JosephCinqué #JohnQuincyAdams #LaAmistad #Mende #SierraLeone #Abolitionism #SlaveRevolt #SupremeCourt #1839 #NewLondon #Cuba #Havana #SpanishSlaveTrade #LewisTappan #RogerBaldwin #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1825, France sent a fleet of warships to Haiti and demanded a huge payment in exchange for recognizing Haitian independence. Lucas and Luna dive into the story behind that debt: the 150 million francs, the Ordonnance of 1825, and how Jean-Pierre Boyer agreed to pay. They explore what led to the demand, how it crippled Haiti's economy for generations, and the complicated legacy of President Alexandre Pétion's early land reforms. They also touch on the modern campaign for restitution and the moral questions it raises. A focused look at a pivotal moment that shaped Haiti's troubled history. #Haiti #HaitianIndemnity #JeanPierreBoyer #CharlesX #Ordonnance1825 #AlexandrePétion #FrenchColonialism #SlaveryReparations #CaribbeanHistory #PostIndependenceDebt #HaitianRevolution #ToussaintLouverture #Dessalines #WorldHistory #Empire #EconomicHistory #SocialJustice #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Lucas and Luna explore a corner of the Atlantic slave trade that the main revolt narratives rarely touch: the European-built castles and forts along Ghana's Gold Coast. They walk through Elmina Castle and Cape Coast Castle, describing the dungeons, the Door of No Return, and the logistics that made these stone fortresses the holding pens for millions of enslaved Africans before the Middle Passage. Lucas tells the story of how the Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Danes competed for the Gold Coast trade, how the castles operated as both trading posts and prisons, and what it meant for the African kingdoms—like the Denkyira, Fante, and Asante—who dealt with the Europeans. They touch on the legacy of these sites today, including Ghana's 1990s restoration and the 'Year of Return' tourism. The conversation also includes a brief, natural donation segment where Lucas and Luna reflect on why keeping the show ad-free matters. #GoldCoast #ElminaCastle #CapeCoastCastle #AtlanticSlaveTrade #GhanaHistory #DoorOfNoReturn #PortugueseEmpire #DutchWestIndiaCompany #RoyalAfricanCompany #AsanteEmpire #Fante #Denkyira #SlaveCastles #UNESCO #YearOfReturn #MiddlePassage #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1825, France demanded Haiti pay 150 million francs for its independence—a debt that crippled the nation for over a century. This episode explores the story of the Haitian indemnity, from the wars of liberation under Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Alexandre Pétion to the French gunboat diplomacy that forced the young republic to choose between re-enslavement and ruinous payments. We trace the indemnity's roots in the Bois Caïman ceremony of 1791, the audacity of Toussaint Louverture, and the betrayal after Haiti's victory at Vertières. We examine the role of Charles X, the French ordinance of 1825, and how Haitian presidents like Jean-Pierre Boyer negotiated—and later regretted—the deal. The episode also covers the internal Haitian tensions between the rural masses and the elite who shouldered the burden, the shift from French to American financial control, and the final payoff in 1947. It's a story of economic warfare, racial prejudice, and a debt that was never justly owed. #HaitianIndemnity #HaitianRevolution #JeanJacquesDessalines #ToussaintLouverture #AlexandrePétion #JeanPierreBoyer #CharlesX #Vertières #BoisCaïman #France #Haiti #Reparations #Slavery #Colonialism #History #FexingoHistory #SovereignDebt #CaribbeanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

We often picture slave ships leaving African ports with captains like Luke Collingwood calling the shots. But behind those voyages stood a far more invisible infrastructure: the bankers, insurers, and investors in London and Liverpool who made the trade possible. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the financial architecture of the Atlantic slave trade — from the Royal African Company's monopoly to the rise of private underwriting at Lloyd's Coffee House. They explore how insurance policies literally priced enslaved people as cargo, how 'general average' claims turned murder into a business expense, and how the 1781 Zong massacre was ultimately an insurance dispute. The conversation also examines the financial networks that propped up the trade across British, French, and Portuguese empires, and the early abolitionist strategy of targeting insurance and credit. Specific names include James Rogers (a Bristol banker who collapsed under debt), Anthony Bacon (a London merchant who traded slave-produced goods), and John Kennion (a Liverpool slave trader who went bankrupt). The episode touches on the 1807 Abolition Act's financial compensation for slave owners and the long shadow of these financial institutions. #SlaveTrade #Insurance #Lloyds #MiddlePassage #ZongMassacre #RoyalAfricanCompany #Liverpool #London #Banking #GeneralAverage #JamesRogers #AnthonyBacon #JohnKennion #Abolition #Compensation #1807AbolitionAct #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In August 1823, a massive slave revolt erupted in the British colony of Demerara (modern-day Guyana), involving over 10,000 enslaved people. Unlike many uprisings, this one was nonviolent in its demands, driven by a misinterpretation of new British policies and fueled by the teachings of Christian missionaries. The revolt was brutally suppressed, leading to the execution of its leader, Jack Gladstone, and the controversial trial and sentencing of missionary John Smith, whose death in prison sparked outrage in Britain and accelerated the abolitionist movement. This episode explores the key figures: Jack Gladstone, his father Quamina, and Governor John Murray; the role of the London Missionary Society and Smith's Bethel Chapel; the revolt's suppression by Colonel Leahy and the West India Regiments; and its aftermath, including the 1824 Order in Council and the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834. We also discuss the legacy of Smith as a martyr and the impact of the revolt on British public opinion. #Demerara #JackGladstone #JohnSmith #Quamina #1823SlaveRevolt #BethelChapel #LondonMissionarySociety #JohnMurray #Leahy #WestIndiaRegiments #OrderInCouncil #BritishAbolition #Guyana #History #FexingoHistory #SlaveRevolt #Martyr #Missionaries Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In August 1791, on a humid night in the forests of Saint-Domingue, a Vodou ceremony at a place called Bois Caïman ignited the largest slave revolt in the Americas — one that would ultimately destroy the French empire's most profitable colony and create the first Black republic. This episode takes you inside that night: the priest Dutty Boukman, the mambo Cécile Fatiman, the animal sacrifice, and the oath of rebellion. We explore the political chaos of the French Revolution that made the uprising possible, the alliance between enslaved Africans and free people of color, and the brutal reprisals that followed. We also examine the role of Vodou as a unifying force — how a faith born of African traditions and Catholic symbolism gave revolutionaries a shared purpose. From the sugar plantations of the Plaine du Nord to the mountain forts of the former slaves, this is the story of a revolution that began with a prayer and ended with a nation. #HaitianRevolution #BoisCaïman #DuttyBoukman #CécileFatiman #Vodou #SaintDomingue #SlaveRevolt #ToussaintLouverture #FrenchRevolution #Mackandal #Marronnage #CodeNoir #PlaineDuNord #1791 #CaribbeanHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Resistance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

When news of the failed abolition bill in Britain reached Barbados in 1816, the island's enslaved population rose in the largest slave revolt in Barbadian history. This episode explores the Bussa Rebellion — a meticulously planned uprising led by an enslaved ranger named Bussa, whose name echoes in Barbadian national memory but whose life remains frustratingly obscure. We trace the conspiracy through sugar plantations across the parish of St. Philip, the role of enslaved drivers and artisans, the brutal suppression by local militia and British troops, and the aftermath that reshaped colonial policy. Along the way, we discuss the myth and reality of Bussa himself, the coded communication networks enslaved people used, and the ways this rebellion is remembered today — from the Emancipation Statue in Bridgetown to debates about who actually led it. A story of courage, tragedy, and the long arc of resistance. #Bussa #Barbados #BussaRebellion #SlaveRevolt #1816 #StPhilipBarbados #EmancipationStatue #CaribbeanHistory #SugarPlantations #BritishEmpire #Abolition #SlaveResistance #WestIndianHistory #ColonialBarbados #Bridgetown #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1761, a planned slave revolt across Jamaica's parishes was betrayed before it could begin. This episode follows the conspiracy through the testimonies of Tacky, a Coromantee leader, and his network of enslaved and free black conspirators. We examine the role of African 'nations' in organizing resistance, the brutal punishment of 400 rebels, and the lasting impact on Jamaican slave laws. Why did this uprising, uncovered before it could strike, nonetheless terrify the planter class? And what does it tell us about the limits of colonial control? #History #FexingoHistory #Jamaica #1761 #Tacky #Coromantee #SlaveRevolt #Sandwich #ChristmasConspiracy #JamaicanSlaveLaws #AfricanNations #Marronage #PlanterClass #ColonialJamaica #WestIndies #SlaveResistance #BritishEmpire #EighteenthCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

This episode of The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering steps back from the well-known revolts of the 19th century to explore the opening act of the Haitian Revolution — the only successful slave revolt in history to create an independent nation. We focus on the August 1791 ceremony at Bois Caïman, where enslaved leader Dutty Boukman, a Vodou priest from Jamaica, and Cécile Fatiman, a mambo, gathered hundreds of rebels in the northern hills of Saint-Domingue. The episode examines the religious fusion of Vodou, the political context of the French Revolution, and the brutal conditions on the island's sugar plantations, where half a million enslaved people outnumbered whites ten to one. Lucas and Luna discuss Boukman's alleged prayer, the role of the maroon leader François Mackandal decades earlier, and how the uprising that began with the destruction of 1,800 plantations within weeks transformed into a thirteen-year war. We also consider the lasting debate over whether Bois Caïman was a literal event or a foundational myth — and why that question matters for understanding Haitian national identity. #HaitianRevolution #BoisCaïman #DuttyBoukman #CécileFatiman #Vodou #SaintDomingue #Slavery #SlaveRevolt #FrenchRevolution #CaribbeanHistory #ToussaintLouverture #Mackandal #Maroons #SugarPlantations #WorldHistory #BlackHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Before Toussaint, before Nat Turner, an African prince turned galley slave named Benkos Biohó led the most durable maroon rebellion in the Americas. In the early 1600s, he escaped a slave ship in the Caribbean port of Cartagena de Indias, fled into the impenetrable mangrove swamps of the Darién Gap, and built a fortress community called San Basilio de Palenque. Biohó trained his fighters in guerrilla tactics honed by the Mande warrior traditions of West Africa, raided Spanish supply routes, and even negotiated a peace treaty that recognized his community's freedom — a treaty Spain later betrayed. This episode explores how Biohó's War, the Palenque de la Matuna, and the legacy of the cimarrones shaped Colombia's hidden history of Black resistance. We'll follow his military campaigns, the internal politics of the palenque, and the final betrayal that led to his execution, but also how his name lived on and how San Basilio de Palenque still exists today. #BenkosBiohó #PalenqueDeLaMatuna #CartagenaDeIndias #SanBasilioDePalenque #Maroons #Cimarrones #SlaveRevolt #Colombia #NewGranada #AfricanDiaspora #GuerrillaWarfare #Mande #AtlanticSlaveTrade #History #FexingoHistory #Resistance #GalleySlave #17thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1787, a small fleet of ships carrying hundreds of Black Loyalists, poor whites, and freed slaves from London set sail for West Africa. Their destination: a stretch of coast the British called the 'Province of Freedom,' later known as Sierra Leone. This episode tells the story of that first settlement — the unlikely coalition of abolitionists, the brutal conditions that nearly destroyed it, and the resilience of the Black settlers who survived starvation, disease, and attacks. We follow the journey of Thomas Peters, a Black Loyalist veteran who led a delegation to London demanding land and rights. We examine the role of Granville Sharp and the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor, and the clash between abolitionist ideals and colonial realities. The settlement's early collapse and its rebirth under the Sierra Leone Company in 1791 set the stage for one of the most ambitious experiments in African self-governance. Names, dates, and details drawn from contemporary accounts and recent scholarship. #SierraLeone #BlackLoyalists #GranvilleSharp #ThomasPeters #ProvinceofFreedom #Abolition #NovaScotia #1787 #Freetown #SlaveTrade #BritishEmpire #BlackPoor #AfricanHistory #Colonialism #FexingoHistory #HistoryPodcast #WorldHistory #18thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1792, Denmark-Norway became the first European power to outlaw the transatlantic slave trade — but the ban didn't take effect for a decade. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore why Denmark acted so early, what the 1792 edict actually said, and how the Danish colony of Saint Croix became a laboratory for abolition. They trace the role of the Danish government, the abolitionist influence of figures like Ernst Schimmelmann and Christian VII, and the surprising economic calculations behind the ban. The conversation also covers the 1848 emancipation in the Danish West Indies, the rebellion that forced it, and the legacy of Danish colonialism in the Caribbean. Specific names and terms include: Christian VII, Ernst Schimmelmann, Frederik VI, Saint Croix, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Danish West Indies, Governor Peter von Scholten, 1848 emancipation, 1733 slave revolt, Danish Guinea Company, and the 1792 Slave Trade Commission. #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticSlaveTrade #DanishWestIndies #1792DanishBan #ChristianVII #ErnstSchimmelmann #PeterVonScholten #SaintCroix #DanishAbolition #SlaveTradeCommission #1848Emancipation #CaribbeanHistory #Abolition #EuropeanColonialism #SlaveRevolt #DanishGuineaCompany #1733Revolt Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo