The Atlantic slave trade was abolished in 1808; but for 100 years before that a surprising number of writers denounced slavery in their creative works. Drawing on his recent book Amazing Grace, Professor Basker reveals how early, and how vehemently, poets shaped Anglo-American attitudes toward slavery. The anti-slavery poets range from famous figures like Pope, Wheatley, Wordsworth, and Coleridge, to long-forgotten women, former slaves, and others recovered from the oblivion of historical neglect.

From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website:

"Professor Ira Berlin of the University of Maryland, in a lecture from 2000, examines the differences between the history of slavery and the memory of slavery in the United States and how those differences affect our views of slavery and race today. He focuses his discussion on the charter generations of Africans who were brought to the North American colonies before the establishment of the plantation system; the plantation generations who primarily worked on large plantations in the Low Country, the Chesapeake, and the Deep South; the Revolutionary generations who came of age at the end of the eighteenth century and witnessed and participated in the remaking of black life; and the migration generations of slaves, who were victims of the growing internal slave trade."

From the Colonial Williamsburg: Past and Present Podcasts site—

"Edith Cumbo was a rare individual in colonial Virginia: a free African woman. Learn about her life and her stature in this interview with Emily James."

In this podcast, Harmony Hunter interviews James Ingram, member of Colonial Williamsburg's Nation Builders program. The Nation Builders program is about giving a voice to more than just well-known historical figures in America's history. Specifically, Ingram discusses his portrayal of Gowan Pamphlet, the first ordained slave preacher in America.

Interested listeners can learn more about Gowan Pamphlet by clicking here for biographical information on the slave preacher.

Or would you rather learn more about colonial religion in general? Colonial Williamsburg also offers an overview of various aspects of 18th century religious beliefs and practices.

From Colonial Williamsburg: Past and Present Podcasts—

"Many West African cultures make landfall in colonial Virginia, where they adapt and adopt traits that will form the basis of a new African American culture. Historian Rose McAphee describes the blend."

Interested in learning more about Colonial African Americans? Click here to discover more about the African American experience in Virginia.

From Colonial Williamsburg: Past and Present Podcasts

"Slavery gains a foothold in the American colonies as early as 1619. In the years that follow, laws and resistance grow around the institution with equal determination. Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander discusses slavery's early path."

A short video (or "vodcast") accompanies this podcast, and can be accessed here.