The 1781 Zong Massacre: Insurance Fraud and the Slave Trade

The 1752 Massacre at Calabar: Old Calabar and the Slave Trade

This episode of The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering explores the 1752 massacre at Old Calabar, a devastating event that exposed the brutal mechanics of the slave trade on the Bight of Biafra. Hosts Lucas and Luna delve into the complex role of the Efik people, the key figures of the era like Duke Ephraim and the slave trader John Bibby, and the infamous 'house system' that turned captives into commodities. They unpack the massacre that killed hundreds of Duke Town's inhabitants, the ensuing power struggles, and the chilling reality of how African intermediaries collaborated with European traders. The conversation touches on the use of the 'blood men'—executioners who killed the weak to avoid wasting ship space—and the long-term impact on the region, including the rise of the Aro Confederacy. This episode challenges simple narratives of victim and perpetrator, revealing a tangled web of commerce, survival, and betrayal that fueled the transatlantic slave trade. #OldCalabar #Efik #BightofBiafra #Massacre1752 #DukeEphraim #JohnBibby #SlaveCoast #Nigeria #CrossRiver #TransatlanticSlaveTrade #HouseSystem #BloodMen #AroConfederacy #AfricanIntermediaries #Slavery #History #FexingoHistory #AtlanticHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Saltwater Middle Passage: Akan Captives on the Danish Coast

Lucas and Luna trace the forgotten Danish slave trade from the Gold Coast to the Caribbean. They explore the Christiansborg Castle in present-day Ghana, where Akan-speaking captives were held before being loaded onto Danish slave ships bound for St. Thomas. Lucas explains how the Danish government monopolized the trade through the Danish West India-Guinea Company, and how King Frederik IV granted a royal charter in 1671. They discuss the brutal conditions on the Danish slave ships, including the 1702 voyage of the *Christianus Quintus*, where over 40 percent of captives died. Lucas highlights the little-known 1733 slave revolt on St. John, where Akan warriors from the Gold Coast briefly took control of the island. The episode also covers the role of local African powers, like the Ga and Akwamu, who sold captives to the Danes. A nuanced look at a lesser-told chapter of the Atlantic slave trade. #DanishSlaveTrade #ChristiansborgCastle #GoldCoast #Akan #StThomas #StJohn #DanishWestIndies #ChristianusQuintus #1733SlaveRevolt #SlaveTrade #TransatlanticSlaveTrade #FexingoHistory #History #AtlanticHistory #Slavery #SlaveShip #WestAfrica #Caribbean Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1781 Zong Massacre: Insurance Fraud and the Slave Trade

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1781 Zong massacre, one of the most infamous events in the history of the Atlantic slave trade. When the slave ship Zong ran low on drinking water, its captain, Luke Collingwood, ordered 132 enslaved Africans thrown overboard—not because it was necessary, but because the ship's owners could claim insurance on 'cargo' lost at sea, but not on those who died of natural causes. The resulting court case, Gregson v. Gilbert, shocked the British public and became a rallying point for the abolitionist movement. We discuss the legal arguments, the role of figures like Olaudah Equiano and Granville Sharp, and the broader implications for how the slave trade valued human life. The episode also touches on the ship's voyage from the Gold Coast to Jamaica, the infamous insurance claim, and how the massacre was initially treated as a business dispute rather than a crime. #ZongMassacre #LukeCollingwood #GregsonvGilbert #InsuranceFraud #MiddlePassage #GranvilleSharp #OlaudahEquiano #AbolitionistMovement #GoldCoast #Jamaica #SlaveShip #1781 #BritishSlaveTrade #HumanCargo #History #AtlanticSlaveTrade #FexingoHistory #SlaveTradeLaw Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1831 Mutiny on the Prince of Orange: A Slave Revolt in the Atlantic

In 1831, the slave ship Prince of Orange set sail from Havana with over 200 enslaved Africans bound for the sugar plantations of Cuba. But before the ship could cross the Atlantic, a brave group of Igbo men, led by a man named Okee, rose up in a desperate bid for freedom. This episode dives into the mutiny, the brutal suppression that followed, and the legal aftermath that unfolded in Havana's colonial courts. We follow the ship's journey from the Bight of Biafra, the role of the Aro Confederacy in supplying captives, and the specific ethnic identities of the Igbo rebels. Through trial records from the Real Audiencia de La Habana, we piece together the names, testimonies, and fates of the men who risked everything. The episode also explores the broader context of slave resistance in the 1830s, the tightening of British abolition pressure, and the chilling reality that even successful mutinies rarely meant freedom. This is a story of courage, terror, and the law's complicity in human trafficking. #PrinceOfOrange #SlaveShipMutiny #Igbo #Havana #BightOfBiafra #AroConfederacy #1831 #SlaveRevolt #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Cuba #SugarPlantations #SpanishColonialLaw #Okee #MiddlePassage #Resistance #Abolition #RealAudiencia #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1817 Fort Blount Massacre: Apalachee Resistance in Spanish Florida

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1817 Fort Blount Massacre, a brutal but little-known episode in the history of the Atlantic slave trade. They trace the flight of enslaved people from the Deep South to the maroon stronghold of Fort Blount in Spanish Florida, the alliance with Seminole and Miccosukee warriors, and the U.S. military campaign that ended in a devastating attack by Andrew Jackson's forces. The episode delves into the role of the Negro Fort, the Battle of Prospect Bluff, and the aftermath that saw survivors sold back into slavery. It's a story of resistance, betrayal, and the violent contest for freedom on the borderlands of the early republic. #FortBlountMassacre #NegroFort #Seminole #Maroons #AndrewJackson #SpanishFlorida #ProspectBluff #Apalachee #1817 #FirstSeminoleWar #Slavery #Resistance #AtlanticSlaveTrade #FexingoHistory #HistoryPodcast #WorldHistory #19thCentury #AfricanDiaspora Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]