Slavery

48 - Constitutional Conventions: Aristotle's Political Philosophy

Posted on 2 October 2011

Peter looks at the ideal arrangement of the state in Aristotle’s Politics, his critique of Plato’s Republic and his views on slavery.

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9. In You I Take Shelter: Zera Yacob

Posted on 22 July 2018

The 17th century Ethiopian rationalist Zera Yacob, hailed as the first modern Africana philosopher.

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12. From Here to Timbuktu: Subsaharan Islamic Philosophy

Posted on 30 September 2018

The spread of Islamic scholarship in subsaharan Africa, focusing on intellectuals of the Songhay empire around the Niger River in the 15th-17th centuries.

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29. Out of Africa: Slavery and the Diaspora

Posted on 26 May 2019

An introduction to Africana philosophical thought as it emerged from the modern experience of slavery and colonization by Europeans.

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30. Dualist Personality: Anton Wilhelm Amo

Posted on 9 June 2019

Anton Wilhelm Amo, brought to Germany from his native Ghana, defends a rigorous dualism of mind and body. Was this philosophy connected to his African origins?

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32. Talking Book: Early Africana Writing in English

Posted on 7 July 2019

Eighteenth century black authors touch on philosophical themes in autobiographical narratives, poetry, and other literary genres.

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33. Young, Gifted, and Black: Phillis Wheatley

Posted on 21 July 2019

Phillis Wheatley astonishes colonial Americans with her exquisite and precocious poetry and reflects on the liberating power of the imagination.

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34. New England Patriot: Lemuel Haynes

Posted on 1 September 2019

Preacher and Revolutionary War soldier Lemuel Haynes argues that the principles of the American Revolution demand the abolition of slavery.

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35. Letters from the Heart: Ignatius Sancho and Benjamin Banneker

Posted on 15 September 2019

Ignatius Sancho and Benjamin Banneker make their mark on the history of Africana thought through letters that reflect on the power of sentiment.

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36. Sons of Africa: Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano

Posted on 29 September 2019

Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano advance the goals of the abolitionist movement through a groundbreaking political treatise and an influential autobiography.

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37. Liberty, Equality, Humanity: The Haitian Revolution

Posted on 13 October 2019

In an age of revolutions and revolutionary ideas, the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804 stands out as the most radical of them all.

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38. My Haitian Pen: Baron de Vastey

Posted on 27 October 2019

The Baron de Vastey unveils the horror of colonialism as a system and defends the monarchy of King Christophe in the tense early years of Haiti’s independence.

Note: this episode repeats some of Vastey's vivid descriptions of violence against slaves, so please think twice before listening to it around kids for example.

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39. Doris Garraway on the Haitian Revolution

Posted on 10 November 2019

An interview with Doris Garraway on the background, intellectual basis, and legacy of the Haitian Revolution.

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40. American Africans: Early Black Institutions in the US

Posted on 24 November 2019

Building black institutions in early American history, with Prince Hall and the Masons in Boston, and Richard Allen and the Methodists in Philadelphia.

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41. Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Colonization Controversy

Posted on 8 December 2019

Questions of political autonomy and group identity in the emigration movement led by Paul Cuffe, Daniel Coker, John Russwurm and others.

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42. James Sidbury on African Identity

Posted on 22 December 2019

An interview with James Sidbury about the emergence of a self-conscious African identity in the diaspora.

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43. Kill or Be Killed: David Walker’s Appeal

Posted on 5 January 2020

David Walker defends violent resistance in his incendiary and influential Appeal.

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44. Religion and Pure Principles: Maria W. Stewart

Posted on 19 January 2020

Maria W. Stewart’s public addresses bring the concerns of African American women into the struggle against racial prejudice.

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45. Unnatural Causes: Hosea Easton’s Treatise

Posted on 2 February 2020

Hosea Easton’s Treatise provides an overlooked but fascinating theory of race and racism.

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46. Melvin Rogers on Early 19th Century Political Thought

Posted on 16 February 2020

Melvin Rogers joins us to discuss David Walker, Maria Stewart, and Hosea Easton.

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47. Written by Himself: the Life of Frederick Douglass

Posted on 1 March 2020

Frederick Douglass' journey from slave to leading figure of 19th century American thought.

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48. Happy Holidays: Two Speeches by Frederick Douglass

Posted on 15 March 2020

In two speeches marking holidays, Frederick Douglass champions the idea of world citizenship, the power of appeals to conscience to bring change, and the role of violence.

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49. Let Your Motto Be Resistance: Henry Highland Garnet

Posted on 29 March 2020

Henry Highland Garnet encourages, or actually demands, that enslaved Americans throw off their chains and debates Douglass over how best to resist slavery.

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50. Nation Within a Nation: Martin Delany

Posted on 12 April 2020

He is called a “father of black nationalism,” but Martin Delany also promoted integration in American society. Can the apparent tension be resolved?

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51. I Read Men and Nations: Sojourner Truth and Frances Harper

Posted on 26 April 2020

The moral crusades of Sojourner Truth and Frances Harper, activists against racial and gender oppression.

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52. Great White North: Emigration to Canada

Posted on 10 May 2020

Mary Ann Shadd and Samuel Ringgold Ward reflect on what Canada can offer African Americans, differing on the problem of racism.

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60. Though Late, It Is Liberty: Abolitionism in Brazil

Posted on 4 October 2020

Abolitionists Luiz Gama and Joaquim Nabuco, and the great novelist Machado de Assis, react to the injustices of slaveholding in Brazil.

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64. God is a Negro: Henry McNeal Turner

Posted on 29 November 2020

A late 19th-century churchman tries to explain how slavery fit into God’s plan and decide whether the future for African Americans lies in Africa or America.

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67. Chike Jeffers on Slavery and Diasporic Philosophy

Posted on 10 January 2021

Co-host Chike joins Peter to look back at series two and ahead to series three.

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89. Separate but Unequal: E. Franklin Frazier

Posted on 12 December 2021

Sociologist E. Franklin Frazier critiques the Harlem Renaissance and the “black bourgeoisie” for failing to embrace values that will empower black Americans.

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91. Massa Day Done: Oliver Cox and Eric Williams

Posted on 9 January 2022

Two Trinidadian political thinkers: sociologist Oliver Cox analyzes the nature of racial prejudice, and historian Eric Williams connects capitalism to slavery.

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