Lecture: Rum and Slavery: The Evil Twins that Fueled the Rise of Rhode Island as a Colonial Maritime Power

In the 1700s, the colony of Rhode Island dominated the North American slave trade, bringing more than 100,000 captives from Africa to the Americas. Most were obtained in exchange for rum distilled in New England from molasses, a byproduct of the refinement of sugar grown by enslaved Africans in the West Indies. Over thirty distilleries in Rhode Island produced rum for the African slave trade before its legal end in 1808. Reservations suggested as seating is limited. RSVP HERE!