Slavery in Colonial Rhode Island with Fred Zilian, Ph. D.
During Black History Month, the Library will present a talk by Portsmouth resident Fred Zilian, Ph.D. The histories of colonial Rhode Island and of slavery in the New World are intimately connected. This talk will first describe the beginnings of slavery in the colony of Rhode Island, its growth in the colony in the 18th century, and Rhode Island’s key role in the Atlantic trading system. It will then examine the business of slavery in Bristol, Providence, “Narragansett County,” and Newport, including the demographics of slavery, the lives of the enslaved, and resistance to slavery.
