Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
10-6-2011
Abstract
Rhode Island and the Slave Trade: Bringing History to Life. Paul Davis, Reporter, Providence Journal. Prize-winning Providence Journal reporter Paul Davis will talk about his newspaper series on the Rhode Island slave trade. A transplanted Southerner, Davis will explore the myth of the abolitionist north versus the slave-holding south and talk about the half year he spent in New England’s historical societies and libraries exploring the state's dark past. He'll also explain why he was thrown off some of Rhode Island’s best-known historic sites. The talk will reveal the north’s deep ties to slavery and the slave trade, and will explore how that history has been hidden but also recently exposed – and what should be done next. It will also explore the central role Africans and African Americans played in the growth of Rhode Island and early America. The talk will explore the slave trade from both a southern and northern perspective as well as contemporary and 18th-century views of slavery. Thu, 10/6@12:30pm