the church and slavery

Freeborn Garrettson: The Preacher Who Was Jailed for Daring to Call the Enslavement of Africans a Sin

During slavery in America, religion was often used as a tool of control. Many preachers visited plantations to tell enslaved Africans to obey their masters and accept their suffering as God’s will. But Freeborn Garrettson, a Methodist preacher from...

The Negro Christianized (1706): How Slaveholders Used Christianity to Make Servants More Faithful and Content

When Cotton Mather published The Negro Christianized in 1706, his message went beyond a call to spiritual duty. It was also a calculated appeal to the interests of slaveholders. He argued that introducing Christianity to enslaved servants would not...

Pope Nicholas V: The Pope Who Granted Portugal the Right to Enslave Africans in 1452

Pope Nicholas V, born Tommaso Parentucelli in 1397, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1447 until his death in 1455. While his pontificate is remembered for its contributions to art, and...
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The Untold Story of the Meermin Slave Ship Mutiny of 1766

In February 1766, the Indian Ocean became the stage of one of the most remarkable revolts in the history...