James DeWolf and the Rhode Island Slave Trade

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Arcadia Publishing, Apr 1, 2014 - Biography & Autobiography - 160 pages
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An unsettling story of corruption and exploitation in the Ocean State from slave ships to politics.


Over thirty thousand slaves were brought to the shores of colonial America on ships owned and captained by James DeWolf. When the United States took action to abolish slavery, this Bristol native manipulated the legal system and became actively involved in Rhode Island politics in order to pursue his trading ventures. He served as a member of the House of Representatives in the state of Rhode Island and as a United States senator, all while continuing the slave trade years after passage of the Federal Slave Trade Act of 1808. DeWolf's political power and central role in sustaining the state's economy allowed him to evade prosecution from local and federal authorities--even on counts of murder. Through archival records, author Cynthia Mestad Johnson uncovers the secrets of James DeWolf.

 

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Contents

Preface
Murder on the High Seas
Laws and Economics
The Pious Brother
Indians and Kidnapping
Slave Trade Accelerates
Slaves and Cuba
Appendix Slave Trade Laws
Bibliography
Copyright

Other editions - View all

James DeWolf and the Rhode Island Slave Trade
Cynthia Mestad Johnson
No preview available - 2014
James Dewolf and the Rhode Island Slave Trade
Cynthia Mestad Johnson
No preview available - 2014

Common terms and phrases

American appointed arrived Atlantic Slave Trade auction Bank of Bristol BHPS Bosworth Bradford Bristol Harbor Bristol Historical Bristol­Warren brother captain cargo Charles Collins Charleston Christopher Ellery coast of Africa Collins’s Congress Coughtry crew members Cuba customhouse D’Wolf DeWolf Business Records DeWolf continued DeWolf Family Papers DeWolf ships DeWolf’s vessels Ellery’s Eltis Eustatius Federal Slave Trade granite Havana Historical and Preservation hogsheads Ibid illegal activity involvement James DeWolf James DeWolf Business Jefferson Levi DeWolf Levi’s Mark Anthony Mary Millard Matanzas Middle Passage Mount Hope murder Narragansett Bay Newport Notorious Triangle once Pauledore Photo taken plantations political Polly port of Bristol Potter Preservation Society Reel 9 regarding remained Rhode Island RIHS sail sell Senator Slave Trade Act slave trade laws slavery slaving vessels slaving voyages sold Statia sugar taken by author TASTD Thomas U.S. Custom House United West Indies Wetteroth William Ellery

About the author (2014)

Cynthia Mestad Johnson earned an MA in history from California State University, San Marcos, and teaches U.S. history for the Oceanside Unified School District. She has been a guest speaker at the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society in Rhode Island for her historic research.

Bibliographic information

QR code for James DeWolf and the Rhode Island Slave Trade
TitleJames DeWolf and the Rhode Island Slave Trade
American Heritage
AuthorCynthia Mestad Johnson
Editionillustrated
PublisherArcadia Publishing, 2014
ISBN1625850158, 9781625850157
Length160 pages
Subjects ›  ›  › 

Biography & Autobiography / Historical
History / United States / State & Local / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
Social Science / Slavery
  
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