The Secret Lives of Slave Ship Captains

The 1831 Christmas Rebellion: Jamaica's Largest Slave Revolt

In December 1831, tens of thousands of enslaved Jamaicans rose up in what became the largest slave rebellion in British Caribbean history. Led by Samuel Sharpe, a literate enslaved Baptist deacon, the rebellion involved coordinated strikes, burnings, and armed resistance across the western parishes of Jamaica. British forces, backed by local militias, brutally suppressed the uprising within two weeks, executing hundreds and burning churches and homes. But the rebellion—and its violent suppression—had a seismic effect on the British abolitionist movement. This episode explores the events of the Baptist War, the role of missionary Christianity in fomenting resistance, the tactical delusions of the rebels, and the legacy of Sharpe, who was hanged but later became a National Hero of Jamaica. We also examine the counterpoint of Thomas Thistlewood, a notoriously sadistic slave owner whose diary reveals the everyday horrors of Jamaican plantation life. Drawing on the latest scholarship, we ask: did the Christmas Rebellion actually accelerate emancipation? #SamuelSharpe #ChristmasRebellion #BaptistWar #Jamaica #SlaveRevolt #Abolition #1831 #MontegoBay #StJamesParish #WilloughbyCotton #MarquisofSligo #ThomasThistlewood #SecondMaroonWar #Cudjoe #BritishEmpire #Slavery #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1820s Coffee Boom and the Slave Trade's Last Gasp in Brazil

In this episode, we explore how Brazil's 19th-century coffee boom fueled a brutal resurgence of the transatlantic slave trade even as Britain pressed for abolition. We trace the rise of the Paraíba Valley coffee plantations, the illegal slave imports that continued after the 1831 Feijó Law, and the role of the African Squadron in intercepting slavers. We also meet Manoel Congo, an enslaved African who led a revolt on a coffee plantation in 1839, and examine the 1850 Eusébio de Queirós Law that finally ended Brazil's slave trade. A specific, human-scale look at the intersection of commodity capitalism and human suffering. #CoffeeBoom #BrazilSlaveTrade #ParaíbaValley #ManoelCongo #FeijóLaw #EusébioDeQueirósLaw #AfricanSquadron #SlaveRevolt #1830s #AtlanticSlaveTrade #BrazilianHistory #CoffeePlantations #IllegalSlaveTrade #MiddlePassage #Resistance #Abolition #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1820 Treaty That Made the Slave Trade Piracy

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1820 Treaty of London, in which the United States and Britain agreed to treat the international slave trade as piracy—a crime punishable by death. They trace the diplomatic maneuvering that led to this landmark agreement, the role of President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, and the British push for mutual search rights at sea. The conversation examines how the treaty was enforced, including the creation of the U.S. Africa Squadron and the mixed commission courts in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. But Lucas also unpacks the treaty's limits: it only applied to the ocean, not to the domestic slave trade within the U.S., and it did little to stop illegal slavers who ran faster ships or used false flags. The episode highlights the careers of naval officers like Captain Matthew C. Perry and the cat-and-mouse game between the squadron and slavers. It also touches on the ironic fact that while the U.S. and Britain declared the trade piracy, neither nation would free the enslaved people rescued from captured ships—they were often turned over to local colonial authorities. A nuanced look at a forgotten diplomatic milestone that was both a moral victory and a practical failure. #SlaveTrade #TreatyOfLondon1820 #Piracy #JohnQuincyAdams #JamesMonroe #AfricaSquadron #MixedCommissionCourts #MatthewPerry #SierraLeone #RoyalNavy #Abolition #19thCentury #AtlanticWorld #Diplomacy #MaritimeHistory #IllegalSlaveTrade #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Secret Lives of Slave Ship Captains

Behind every cargo of enslaved Africans stood a captain — part merchant, part navigator, part brutal enforcer. In this episode, Lucas and Luna peel back the logbooks to explore the men who commanded the Middle Passage: their training, their daily routines, their profit margins, and the psychological toll of overseeing human cargo. They examine the career of Captain John Newton, the former slave trader who later became an abolitionist and wrote 'Amazing Grace,' and contrast him with lesser-known figures like Captain James Fraser, who kept meticulous records of mortality and discipline. The conversation covers the hierarchy aboard a slaver — from captain to surgeon to first mate — and how risk was distributed across investors, insurers, and the crew. They also touch on the infamous Zong massacre, where a captain justified throwing 132 enslaved people overboard to collect insurance, and the legal and moral debates that followed. This episode offers a granular look at the men who ran the slave trade, not as monsters or saints, but as products of a brutal economic system that devalued human life. #SlaveShipCaptains #MiddlePassage #JohnNewton #AmazingGrace #ZongMassacre #JamesFraser #LloydsCoffeeHouse #RoyalAfricanCompany #SlaveTrade #18thCenturyMaritime #CaptainLogbooks #Abolition #BritishEmpire #AtlanticHistory #MaritimeHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Slavery Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Middle Passage Food: Cuisine of Survival

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked culinary history of the Middle Passage — what enslaved Africans ate during their forced journey across the Atlantic, and how those provisions shaped survival, rebellion, and diaspora food cultures. They focus on the specific foods prescribed by 18th-century slave ship regulations: the Dolben Act of 1788 and subsequent laws that mandated rations like rice, yams, beans, and dried fish. Lucas explains how these items were chosen for nutritional and economic reasons, but also how the monotony and scarcity of food led to malnutrition, disease, and resistance. The conversation dives into the role of yams from West Africa, the introduction of cassava from Brazil, and the surprising fact that some ship captains deliberately reduced rations to increase profits. Lucas connects this to the broader story of how African food traditions — like okra, black-eyed peas, and palm oil — later merged with New World ingredients to create iconic dishes in the Caribbean, Brazil, and the American South. The episode ends with a reflection on food as a form of cultural memory and defiance. #History #FexingoHistory #MiddlePassage #SlaveShipFood #DolbenAct #CuisineOfSurvival #SlaveTrade #Yams #Cassava #Okra #BlackEyedPeas #PalmOil #AfricanDiaspora #FoodHistory #Resistance #SierraLeone #BightOfBenin #AtlanticWorld Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]