Freedom in white and black : a lost story of the illegal slave trade and its global legacy / Emma Christopher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Christopher, Emma, 1971- author.

Contributor:

Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Enslaved persons.

Slave traders.

Africa.

Slave trade--Africa--History.

Slave trade.

History.

Slave traders--Africa--Biography.

Enslaved persons--Africa--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

xi, 310 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wisconsin : The University of Wisconsin Press, [2018]

Summary:

In the early nineteenth century, both Britain and the United States had passed laws prohibiting further transatlantic slaving. Yet the trade covertly carried on. In the summer of 1813, near what is now Liberia, a compound of pens full to bursting with sick and anguished captives was guarded by other African slaves. As a British patrol swooped down on the illicit barracoon, the slavers burned the premises to the ground, hoping to destroy evidence. This story can be told because of an exceptional trove of court documents that provides unparalleled insight into one small link in the great, horrific chain of slavery. Emma Christopher follows a trail of evidence across four continents to examine the lives of this barracoon's owners, their workers, and their tragic human merchandise. She reveals how an American, Charles Mason, escaped justice; while Robert Bostock and John McQueen were taken prisoner and exiled to Australia. Later, when they appealed their arrest in court, British agents collected the testimony of five African men--Tamba, Tom Ball, Yarra, Noah, and Sessay--whose words bear witness on behalf of 233 nameless Africans liberated in the 1813 raid. These men, women, and children, who were relocated to Freetown, Sierra Leone, endured lives of "freedom" much harsher than we would like to imagine. From the fragmented facts of these lives, Christopher also sheds fascinating light on the early development of the nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Australia and the role of former slaves in combatting the illegal trade.

Contents:

Part 1 Journeys to the Slave Factory

1 Son of a Liverpool Slave Dealer p. 23

2 A Kissi Child Caught in the Slave Trade p. 31

3 The Banana Islands to Gallinas p. 38

4 Making Deals with Siaka, Selling to the De Wolfs p. 46

5 A Cargo of Slaves for Havana p. 55

Part 2 Burned to the Ground

6 A New Slave Factory at the St. Paul River p. 63

7 In the Barracoon p. 72

8 The Slave Ship Fénix and Setting the Factory Alight p. 80

9 Leaving, Never to Return p. 91

Part 3 Different Types of Liberty

10 Arriving in Freetown p. 97

11 The Court Case p. 105

12 Becoming Soldiers, Cabin Boys, and Wives p. 112

13 Leaving Africa p. 124

14 A Village of Their Own p. 129

15 A Murder, and an Appeal to the Prince Regent p. 136

16 Experiments in Civilization and Liberty p. 141

17 Prisoners in New South Wales p. 145

18 Christianity at Hogbrook p. 154

19 The End of Their Punishment p. 159

20 A Model Village p. 162

21 The Appeal p. 179

22 Helping to Found Liberia p. 190

23 Van Diemen's Land p. 204

24 Liberty in White and Black p. 208.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-301) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

ISBN:

9780299316204

0299316203

OCLC:

1005057443