Figures of Resistance
An enslaved skilled tradesman who ran away from his master in Providence in 1770
QUAM
What were the two types of work enslaved people performed in Rhode Island?
Domestic labor, farming, sailing, shipbuilding, working in rum distilleries (etc..)
What product did Rhode Island distilleries produce that helped finance the purchase of enslaved people?
Rum
What were the annual spring celebrations commonly called?
Election days
Stole a canoe from his master Robert Wilcox and paddled to Martha’s Vinyard and “hid among the Indians”
JETHRO
What was one difference between enslaved people's lives in urban versus rural Rhode Island?
URBAN: more mobility through sailing or working for merchants
RURAL: worked on farms and under close surveillance of masters
Name two ways enslaved people contributed to Rhode Island's maritime economy
Building slave ships, serving as sailors or crew, growing food to support trade
Name two activities enslaved people participated in during the annual festivals
Dancing, feasting, games, drinking, gambling
Ram away from James MacSparren, a farmer and minister after giving him “a few lashes till he begged”
HANNIBAL
Why could domestic labor be isolating for enslaved women?
They worked inside the private homes as domestic servants which limited their opportunities to interact with others.
How much of the population in Newport and Narragansett was enslaved?
1/5 of the population
Who would be "elected" during the duration of the festivals?
An honorary governor or king to rule
Set fire to the Long Wharf, the city of Providence’s major port
FORTUNUE
TRUE OR FALSE: Some enslaved people had their own small businesses
TRUE - Caesar
Define the "Business of Slavery"
Refers to larger economic system; slave trading, shipping, agriculture, shipbuilding and other industries depending on enslaved labor
What was a key part of what made the celebrations distinctly black?
Dancing
The slave on James MacSparran’s farm who was involved in a consensual relationship with another slave named ___, who lived on a neighboring farm and they had two children together
MAROCA and MINGO
As the West Indian and Atlantic slave trades became the cornerstones of local economy, more enslaved people of African descent were brought into the colony.
Enslaved people had _____ skills and were _____ valuable
Who was Sarah Osborn?
A white critic of slavery who established an interracial school and held Sunday services in her home for enslaved people