The Black Researcher

 The European Governor of an African Empire 2010 Reproduction of an oil painting of Francisco de Sousa (Credit: Professor and anthropologist Milton Guran) French ethnographer Pierre Verger (1902-1996) once called Francisco Félix de Sousa (1754-1849) the greatest slave trader of all time. And yet, de Sousa was an adopted member of the kingdom of Dahomey and, particularly, its government. Reproduction of an oil portrait of Francisco Félix de Sousa 1996 (Credit: Professor and anthropologist Milton Guran) Francisco Félix de Sousa helped to overthrow the administration of King Ghezo's predecessor. For that, the king declared that he was eternally indebted to "Dom Francisco." Ghezo made him the chief of all trade in Dahomean territories, the majority of which was conquered from other Africans. As a result, de Sousa could take as many slaves as he wanted from the stockpile of captives taken in war and sell them to whomever he pleased. And as de Sousa was Portuguese, many of the...

Stealing a Slave to Freedom in Broad Daylight 'Practical Illustration of the Fugitive Slave Law' 1851 (Source: Library of Congress ) This remarkable story about the rescue of a fugitive slave by a White citizen of Canada was recorded by the Canadian abolitionist Charles Stuart (1783-1865) in 1844. Captain Charles Stuart at the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in England (Source: UK National Portrait Gallery via Wikipedia Commons )

White Male Privilege in the Time of "New World" Slavery Here's a rather comical tale I read recently (at least I found some humor in it). This story comes to us from Haiti during the time that the island nation was a French colony and most of the population consisted of people who were enslaved by the French. The author is a monk by the name of Jean-Baptiste Labat (1663-1738). It is important to note that Labat was himself a slave-owner and the kind who did not mind whipping his slaves viciously for their " disobedience ." This story demonstrates the stratification of privilege that existed in the time of slavery. It further shows how any White man - no matter their level of intelligence - was able to finesse and finagle their way up the social ladder. In this case, the pathway to wealth was an older White woman and that wealth was built on the backs of African slaves. The story begins... D'Artagnan from The Musketeers, A Drama by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste...

The Participation of African People in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Slavery is a very serious and delicate topic for anyone to research. To research and to present on the history of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade is to undertake a task that can lead to a better understanding of the present situation facing the descendants of its victims and benefactors in our world today. But if a careful effort is not taken in this process, this same work can lead to negative consequences in our society. It can potentially spurn alternate histories, adding to the cadre of myths that are often presented as fact. A reckless approach to research on the history of the slave trade can make villains out of heroes and heroes out of villains. From Hull Maritime Museum, Featured in  A Pictorial History of the Slave Trade (1971) by Isabelle Aguet (Source: Slavery Images ) In the "reflections" chapter of his massive 900-page  Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade   (1997), the culmination of many ye...