Misplaced Pages

#211788

98-460: Although the island is small, its strategic position at the limit of navigation for ocean-going ships in Africa's largest natural harbour made it an ideal base for European slave traders. To mark the 2007–2008 bicentennial of Britain's abolition of the slave trade , a team at James Madison University created a three-dimensional animation of the castle as it was in 1805, and an exhibit on the site that

196-525: A 1787 law prohibiting residents of the state from trading in slaves. Slave traders were also breaking federal statutes of 1794 and 1800 barring Americans from carrying slaves to ports outside the United States, as well as the 1807 Congressional act abolishing the transatlantic slave trade. A few Rhode Island families made substantial fortunes in the trade. William and Samuel Vernon were Newport merchants who later played an important role in financing

294-680: A British Order-in-Council had restricted the importation of slaves into colonies that had been captured from France and the Netherlands . Following adoption of the 1807 act, Britain used its diplomatic influence to pressure other nations to end their own involvement in the slave trade. With the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1810, Portugal agreed to restrict its trade into its colonies; in the Anglo-Swedish Treaty of 1813 , Sweden outlawed its slave trade; and in

392-493: A divinely ordained crusade. On Sunday, 28 October 1787, Wilberforce wrote in his diary: "God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners." On 2 April 1792, William Wilberforce sponsored a motion in the House of Commons "that the trade carried on by British subjects, for the purpose of obtaining slaves on the coast of Africa, ought to be abolished." He had introduced

490-401: A great deal of technical knowledge for its successful cultivation. South Carolinan and Georgian planters were willing to pay premium prices for slave labour brought from what they called the "Rice Coast" of West Africa, the traditional rice-growing region stretching from what is now Senegal and Gambia in the north down to present-day Sierra Leone and Liberia in the south. Still, records of

588-801: A museum in Freetown devoted to the island's history and the influence of the Atlantic slave trade in Sierra Leone. General Colin Powell , then Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff , visited Bunce Island in 1992 while on an official visit to Sierra Leone. Powell spoke of his feelings in a farewell speech he made before leaving the country; "I am an American ... but today, I am something more ... I am an African too ... I feel my roots here in this continent". Like

686-421: A plan to implement gradual abolition by the end of 1799. At that time he told the House that proceeding too quickly would cause West Indian merchants and landowners to continue the trade "in a different mode and other channels." He argued that "if the committee would give the time proposed, they might abolish the trade; but, on the contrary, if this opinion was not followed, their children yet unborn would not see

784-470: A rich port began with the immigration of a second wave of Portuguese Jews , who settled there around the middle of the 18th century. The new settlers had been practicing Judaism secretly for 300 years in Portugal, and they were attracted to Rhode Island because of its freedom of worship. They brought with them commercial experience, connections, capital, and a spirit of enterprise. Most prominent among them

882-489: A similar motion in 1791, which was soundly defeated by MPs, with a vote of 163 opposed, 88 in favour. Henry Dundas was not present for that vote, but when it was again before MPs in 1792, Dundas tabled a petition from Edinburgh residents who supported abolition. He then went on to affirm his agreement in principle with Wilberforce's motion: "My opinion has been always against the Slave Trade." He argued, however, that

980-450: A slave-ship captain who operated out of Bunce Island and other ports in the Sierra Leone region in the late 1700s. Their ancestor Thomas Walker (AKA "Beau Walker") came from Bristol , one of Britain's principal slaving ports. Walker was involved in 11 slaving expeditions; he immigrated with his fortune to the US, where he became naturalised in 1792. One of his descendants, Dorothy (Walker) Bush,

1078-447: A subsequent session on 5 June 1792, where they were never revived. Thus the 1792 Slave Trade Bill passed the House of Commons; but mangled and mutilated by the modifications and amendments of Pitt , Earl of Mornington , Edward James Eliot and MacDonald, it lay for years, in the House of Lords. Abolitionists’ numbers were magnified by the precarious position of the government under Lord Grenville , whose short term as prime minister

SECTION 10

#1732771852212

1176-722: A substantial part of their fortunes in the Old China Trade . By the turn of the 20th century, many of the nation's wealthiest families were summering in Newport, including the Vanderbilts , Astors , and the Widener family , who constructed the largest "cottages", such as The Breakers (1895) and Miramar (1915). They resided for a brief summer social season in grand mansions with elaborate receiving rooms, dining rooms, music rooms, and ballrooms—but with few bedrooms, since

1274-457: A three-dimensional image of the castle using computer-aided design and historic drawings. It is part of an exhibit portraying the island's history and depicts the buildings as they appeared 200 years ago. Evidence of numerous historical and genealogical links between Bunce Island and the United States has been found. In 2013, historians reported learning that two U.S. presidents, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush , are directly descended from

1372-612: A vote for immediate abolition would be ineffective, as it would not prevent merchants from other countries from stepping in to continue the trade abandoned by the British. He stated: "this trade must be ultimately abolished, but by moderate measures". He proposed an amendment that would add the word "gradual" to the Wilberforce motion. The amendment was adopted, 192 in favour, 125 opposed. The motion as amended then passed 230 in favour, 85 opposed. Dundas insisted that any abolition of

1470-536: A year of settling Portsmouth and began the settlement of Newport on the southern side of the island. Newport grew to be the largest of the four original settlements that became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , including Providence Plantations and Shawomett . Many of the first colonists in Newport became Baptists , and the second Baptist congregation in Rhode Island was formed in 1640 under

1568-465: Is known as a New England summer resort and is famous for its historic mansions and its rich sailing history. The city has a population of about 25,000 residents. Newport hosted the first U.S. Open tournaments in both tennis and golf , as well as every challenge to the America's Cup between 1930 and 1983. It is also the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport , which houses

1666-511: Is now protected by the Sierra Leonean Monuments and Relics Commission , a branch of the country's Ministry of Tourism and Culture. The government is working to preserve the castle as an important historic site and as a destination for tourists, especially African Americans. Bunce Island has been called "the most important historic site in Africa for the United States" because thousands of slaves were shipped from here to ports in

1764-644: The Continental System whose declared purpose was to weaken the British economy by closing French-controlled territory to its trade. Originally, the French Revolution had abolished slavery, but Napoleon – though claiming the mantle of continuing the revolutionary heritage – had in 1802 taken the reactionary step of reintroducing slavery in the French colonies. Thus, in abolishing the slave trade Britain – which could do little to directly oppose

1862-726: The Gullah people of the United States Low Country. He organised the Gullah "homecomings" portrayed in the documentary films: Family Across the Sea (1990), The Language You Cry In (1998), and the website Priscilla's Homecoming (2005). Historian David Hancock documented Bunce Island during the period of Grant, Oswald & Company in his study, Citizens of the World (1997). In 2006, television actor Isaiah Washington visited

1960-527: The Rhode Island Gazette . In 1758, his son James founded the weekly newspaper Mercury . The famous 18th-century Goddard and Townsend furniture was also made in Newport. Throughout the 18th-century, Newport suffered from an imbalance of trade with the largest colonial ports. As a result, Newport merchants were forced to develop alternatives to conventional exports. In the 1720s, Colonial leaders arrested many pirates, acting under pressure from

2058-566: The Treaty of Paris of 1814 whereby France agreed with Britain that the slave trade was "repugnant to the principles of natural justice" and agreed to abolish its involvement the slave trade in five years. In the 1814 Anglo-Dutch treaty the Netherlands outlawed its slave trade, and the 1817 Anglo-Spanish treaty called for Spain to suppress its trade by 1820. The United States adopted its Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves on 2 March 1807,

SECTION 20

#1732771852212

2156-425: The "Saints", the alliance was led by the best known of the anti-slave trade campaigners, William Wilberforce , who had taken on the cause of abolition in 1787 after having read the evidence that Thomas Clarkson had amassed against the trade. These dedicated Parliamentarians had access to the legal draughtsmanship of James Stephen , Wilberforce's brother-in-law. They often saw their personal battle against slavery as

2254-416: The 10,898 households, 18.9% had children under the age of 18; 31.0% were married couples living together; 37.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 41.8% of households consisted of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.8. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher

2352-688: The Abolition of the Slave Trade was formed in 1787 by a group of Evangelical English Protestants allied with the Quakers , to unite in their shared opposition to slavery and the slave trade. The Quakers had long viewed slavery as immoral, and a blight upon humanity. By 1807 the abolitionist groups in Britain had a very sizeable faction of like-minded members in the British Parliament . At their height they controlled 35–40 seats. Known as

2450-707: The American South. Gorée Island in Senegal has become better known than Bunce and has attracted African-American tourists and support for preservation since the 1980s. In October 2010, the Bunce Island Coalition (US) and its local partner organisation announced the start of the Bunce Island Preservation Project, a five-year, US$ 5 million effort to preserve the ruins of the castle as a historic landmark and to build

2548-528: The Americans from the island. In 1779, the British abandoned the location. Rodney lamented, "The evacuating Rhode Island was the most fatal measure that could possibly have been adopted. It gave up the best and noblest harbor in America, capable of containing the whole Navy of Britain, and where they could in all seasons lie in perfect security; and from whence squadrons, in forty-eight hours, could blockade

2646-619: The British Empire until the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4 . c. 73). As British historian Martin Meredith writes, "In the decade between 1791 and 1800, British ships made about 1,340 voyages across the Atlantic, landing nearly 400,000 slaves. Between 1801 and 1807, they took a further 266,000. The slave trade remained one of Britain's most profitable businesses." The Committee for

2744-567: The British government. Many were hanged in Newport and buried on Goat Island . Newport was a major center of the slave trade in colonial and early America, active in the "triangle trade" in which slave-produced sugar and molasses from the Caribbean were carried to Rhode Island and distilled into rum that was then carried to West Africa and exchanged for captives. In 1764, Rhode Island had about 30 rum distilleries, 22 in Newport alone. Slaves were trafficked illegally into Rhode Island, breaking

2842-455: The British side was Richard Oswald , the principal owner of Bunce Island; he and Laurens had been friends for thirty years. Bunce Island was also linked to the Northern colonies in America. Slave ships based in northern ports frequently called at Bunce Island, taking on supplies such as fresh water and provisions for the Atlantic crossing, and buying slaves for sale in the British islands of

2940-526: The Bunce Island factory. Bunce Island was abandoned until the mid-1740s. It was later operated by the London-based firm Grant , Oswald & Company, founded by Scottish merchants Richard Oswald and Alexander Grant, who took over in 1748. In 1785 Bunce and a number of other dependent islands were conveyed to the company of John and Alexander Anderson. Throughout the late 18th century, it

3038-782: The Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War , and was later appointed as the United States envoy to the Netherlands . Captured by the British en route to his post in Europe during the war, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London . After hostilities ended, he became one of the Peace Commissioners who negotiated United States independence under the Treaty of Paris . The chief negotiator on

Bunce Island - Misplaced Pages Continue

3136-452: The Crown . On October 31, 1678, at Gresham College the latter offered the former the contents of their investment on the island for 4,644l. 4s. 9d. The castle was not commercially successful but it served as a symbol of English influence in the region, where Portuguese slave traders had been established since the 1500s. The early phase of the castle's history ended in 1728 when Bunce Island

3234-491: The Cruiser-Destroyer fleet from Newport, and the closure of nearby Naval Air Station Quonset Point in 1973 were devastating to the local economy. The population of Newport decreased, businesses closed, and property values plummeted. However, in the late 1960s, the city began revitalizing the downtown area with the construction of America's Cup Avenue, malls of stores and condominiums, and upscale hotels. Construction

3332-698: The East Passage of the Narragansett. Being surrounded by ocean water, Newport is often cooler in the summer than some coastal cities further north, such as Boston . According to the USDA, Newport is located in plant hardiness zone 7a. The 2020 United States census counted 25,163 people, 10,898 households, and 4,982 families in Newport. The population density was 3,286.7 per square mile (1,269.0/km ). There were 13,466 housing units at an average density of 1,758.9 per square mile (679.1/km ). The racial makeup

3430-509: The House of Commons on 10 February 1807. On 23 February 1807, twenty years after he first began his crusade, Wilberforce and his team were rewarded with victory. After a debate lasting ten hours, the House agreed to the second reading of the bill to abolish the Atlantic slave trade by an overwhelming 283 votes for to 16. The bill received royal assent by King George III on 25 March 1807. The Act took effect on 1 May 1807. However, Kitty's Amelia had received clearance to sail on 27 April, before

3528-602: The United States Naval War College , the Naval Undersea Warfare Center , and an important Navy training center. It was a major 18th-century port city and boasts many buildings from the colonial era . Newport is the county seat of Newport County , which has no governmental functions other than court administrative and sheriff corrections boundaries. It was known for being the location of the " Summer White Houses " during

3626-934: The West Indies and the Southern Colonies. The North American slave ships that called at Bunce Island were sailing out of Newport (Rhode Island), New London (Connecticut), Salem (Massachusetts), and New York City . In 1787 British philanthropists involved with the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor in London established Granville Town , a settlement for freed slaves on the Sierra Leone Peninsula, 20 miles (32 kilometres) down-river from Bunce Island. This first attempt at colonisation

3724-490: The administrations of presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy . Newport was founded in 1639 on Rhode Island , which is now called Aquidneck Island. Its eight founders and first officers were Nicholas Easton , William Coddington , John Clarke , John Coggeshall , William Brenton , Jeremy Clark , Thomas Hazard , and Henry Bull . Many of these people were part of the settlement at Portsmouth , along with Anne Hutchinson and her followers. They separated within

3822-564: The age of 18 and 7.7% of those ages 65 or over. As of 2013, there were 24,027 people, 10,616 households, and 4,933 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,204.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,237.1/km ). There were 13,069 housing units at an average density of 1,697.3 per square mile (655.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 82.5% White , 6.9% African American , 0.8% Native American , 1.4% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 3.1% some other race , and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.4% of

3920-405: The ban. Bunce Island was shut down for slave-trading; British firms used the castle as a cotton plantation, a trading post and a sawmill. These activities were economically unsuccessful and the island was abandoned around 1840, after which the buildings and stone walls fell into decay. Three American scholars have researched Bunce Island. Anthropologist Joseph Opala 's research linked the island to

4018-521: The castle after each attack, gradually altering its architecture during the roughly 140 years it was used as a slave trade entrepôt . Bunce Island is best known as one of the chief processing points for slaves to be sold to planters in Lowcountry of the British colonies of South Carolina and Georgia , including the Sea Islands , where they developed extensive rice plantations. Rice requires

Bunce Island - Misplaced Pages Continue

4116-573: The castle four times (1695, 1704, 1779, and 1794), damaging or destroying it each time. The attack of 1779 took place during the American War of Independence when the Continental Army 's French allies took advantage of the conflict to attack British assets outside North America. Pirates, including Bartholomew Roberts or "Black Bart", the most notorious pirate of the 18th century, attacked in 1719 and 1720. The British traders rebuilt

4214-559: The climate for the rest of Sierra Leone, the climate for Bunce Island is tropical, with two seasons determining the agricultural cycle: the rainy season from May to November, and a dry season from December to May, which includes harmattan , when cool, dry winds blow in off the Sahara Desert and the night-time temperature can be as low as 16 °C (60.8 °F). The average temperature is 26 °C (78.8 °F) and varies from around 26 to 36 °C (78.8 to 96.8 °F) during

4312-913: The colonial era, but rotated its legislative sessions among Providence, Newport, Bristol, East Greenwich, and South Kingstown. In 1854, the sessions were eliminated in cities other than Providence and Newport, and Newport was ultimately dropped in 1900 as a constitutional amendment that year restricted the meetings of the legislature to Providence. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had many ties to Newport. She spent her childhood summers at Newport's Hammersmith Farm . She and John Fitzgerald Kennedy attended nearby St. Mary's Church and were married there on September 12, 1953. The Kennedys sailed their yacht Honey Fitz in Narragansett Bay , golfed at Newport Country Club , dined at The White Horse Tavern , and attended social events at The Breakers . Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower both made Newport

4410-673: The creation of the United States Navy; they sponsored 30 African slaving ventures. However, it was the DeWolfs of Bristol, Rhode Island , and most notably James De Wolf , who were the largest slave-trading family in America, mounting more than 80 transatlantic voyages, most of them illegal. The Rhode Island slave trade was broadly based. Seven hundred Rhode Islanders owned or captained slave ships, most of whom were substantial merchants, though many were ordinary shopkeepers and tradesmen who purchased shares in slaving voyages. Newport

4508-548: The deadline. Thus, when she sailed on 27 July, she did so legally. This was the last legal slave voyage for a British vessel. All that took place against the background of the ongoing War of the Fourth Coalition . In the last months of 1806, Napoleon had won a major victory, crushing the military power of Prussia , entering into its capital Berlin and there issuing the Berlin Decree , bringing into effect

4606-401: The end of the traffic." MPs voted in favour of ending the trade in slaves by the end of 1796, after defeating proposals to end the trade in slaves in 1795 or 1794. The House then amended the supporting resolutions tabled by Dundas, to reflect the new target date of 1796. The motion and resolutions did not receive consent in the House of Lords, however, consideration being formally deferred to

4704-635: The first African mutual aid society in America. Newport was the scene of much activity during the American Revolution . William Ellery was a Newport native and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence . In the winter of 1775, and 1776, the Rhode Island Legislature placed militia general William West in charge of rooting out loyalists in Newport, which resulted in several individuals being exiled to

4802-478: The foreman of African workers. The slave traders who did business at Bunce Island came from a variety of backgrounds. During the castle's early history, Afro-Portuguese—part of what historian Ira Berlin described as the "Atlantic Creole generation"—sold slaves and local products there. They were well-established along the rivers near the coast and were descendants of male Portuguese slave traders known as lançados and African women, and were often bilingual. During

4900-544: The guests were expected to have "cottages" of their own. Many of the homes were designed by New York architect Richard Morris Hunt , who kept a house in Newport himself. The social scene at Newport is described in Edith Wharton 's novel The Age of Innocence . Wharton's own Newport "cottage" was called Land's End . Today, many mansions continue in private use. Hammersmith Farm is the mansion where John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy held their wedding reception; it

4998-534: The headquarters of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center . The decommissioned aircraft carrier USS  Saratoga  (CV-60) was moored in an inactive status at the docks previously used by the Cruiser-Destroyer Force until it was towed to Brownsville, Texas in August–September 2014 to be dismantled. The USS  Forrestal  (CV-59) shared the pier until June 2010. The departure of

SECTION 50

#1732771852212

5096-610: The highest concentrations of colonial homes in the nation. Doris Duke, heir to the tobacco fortune of her father, James B. Duke, founded the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) in 1968, and for the next 25 years, until her death in 1993, saved much of Newport's colonial architectural heritage. Under Duke's leadership, the NRF restored more than 80 18th- and early 19th-century buildings in Newport and neighboring Middletown, Rhode Island, most of which are still owned by

5194-586: The island after learning through a DNA test he was descended from the indigenous Mende people of Sierra Leone. Washington later donated US$ 25,000 to a project to create a computer reconstruction of Bunce Island as it appeared in 1805, to mark the bicentennial of the abolition of the African slave trade by the UK and the United States. A reconstructed slave ship was docked at the island. Project directors Joseph Opala and Gary Chatelain at James Madison University created

5292-591: The island's later history, Afro-English dynasties became established in communities along the West African coast, beginning in the 17th century. By 1800, there were about 12,000 Afro-English in this area. Mixed-race men from such families as the Caulkers , Tuckers and Clevelands sold slaves and traded goods at Bunce Island. Like the Portuguese descendants, they occupied a middle ground, often marrying into

5390-671: The leadership of John Clarke. In 1658, a group of Jews was welcomed to settle in Newport, fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. They were not allowed to settle elsewhere. This group eventually came to be known as Congregation Jeshuat Israel, and is the second-oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. They meet in Touro Synagogue , the oldest synagogue in America. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations received its royal charter in 1663. Benedict Arnold

5488-423: The median household income was $ 68,201 (with a margin of error of +/- $ 4,880) and the median family income was $ 96,161 (+/- $ 10,800). Males had a median income of $ 40,018 (+/- $ 3,361) versus $ 29,535 (+/- $ 3,288) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $ 34,315 (+/- $ 2,816). Approximately, 12.4% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 25.0% of those under

5586-562: The most populous municipality on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 11.4 square miles (29.5 km ), of which 7.7 square miles (19.9 km ) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km ), or 32.64%, is water. The Newport Bridge , the longest suspension bridge in New England, connects Newport to neighboring Conanicut Island across

5684-427: The northern part of the state, including Joseph Wanton and Thomas Vernon. On December 8, 1776, the British occupied the city without opposition. Sir Peter Parker led 50-gun British ships, while Lieutenant-General Henry Clinton led 7,000 troops. According to Alfred Thayer Mahan , "The immediate effect was to close a haven of privateers , which flanked the route of all vessels bound from Europe to New York." In

5782-450: The period 2009–2011, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $ 59,388, and the median income for a family was $ 83,880. Male full-time workers had a median income of $ 52,221 versus $ 41,679 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 35,644. About 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line. The Newport Historic District — one of the city's three National Historic Landmark Districts — boasts one of

5880-409: The population (3.3% Puerto Rican , 1.2% Guatemalan , 1.1% Mexican ). There were 10,616 households, out of which: 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.9% were headed by married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.5% were non-families. 41.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% were someone living alone who

5978-420: The port of Charleston show that nearly 40 percent of the slaves came from Angola . Bunce Island was the largest British slave castle on the Rice Coast. African farmers with rice-growing skills were kidnapped from inland areas and sold at the castle or at one of its many "outfactories" (trading posts) along the coast before being transported to North America. Several thousand slaves from Bunce Island were taken to

SECTION 60

#1732771852212

6076-408: The ports of Charleston (South Carolina) and Savannah (Georgia) during the second half of the eighteenth century. Slave auction advertisements in those cities often announced slave cargoes arriving from "Bance" or "Bense" Island. American colonist Henry Laurens served as Bunce Island's business agent in Charleston, and was a wealthy planter and slave trader . He later was elected as President of

6174-443: The same month and year as the British action. It provided for the abolition of its Atlantic slave trade but did not alter its internal trade in slaves , while the American abolition of the international slave trade led to the creation of a coastwise slave trade in the United States. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution forbade the closing of the slave trade for twenty years, until 1808. The long-planned law

6272-424: The sites of their " Summer White Houses " during their years in office. Eisenhower stayed at Quarters A at the Naval War College and at what became known as the Eisenhower House , while Kennedy used Hammersmith Farm . The city has long been entwined with the United States Navy . It held the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy during the American Civil War (1861–65) when the undergraduate officer training school

6370-444: The slave trade would have to be dependent on the support of West Indian colonial legislatures, and the implementation of laws concerning the amelioration of the conditions of slaves. Abolitionists argued that West Indian assemblies would never support such measures, and that making the abolition of the slave trade dependent on colonial reforms would cause indefinite delay. Three weeks after the vote, Dundas tabled resolutions setting out

6468-409: The southern part of the city became a staunch Irish neighborhood for many generations. To this day, St. Patrick's Day is an important day of pride and celebration in Newport, with a large parade down Thames Street. The oldest Catholic parish in Rhode Island is St. Mary's , located on Spring Street, though the current building is not original. Rhode Island did not have a fixed capital during and after

6566-552: The strategically important island of Heligoland in the North Sea to Germany in return for control of Zanzibar, in part to help enforce the ban on slave trading. Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island , United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay , approximately 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Providence , 20 miles (32 km) south of Fall River, Massachusetts , 74 miles (119 km) south of Boston , and 180 miles (290 km) northeast of New York City . It

6664-457: The string of French military victories on the continent – could at least gain the moral high ground against its French foe. By its Act Against Slavery of 1793, the Parliament of Upper Canada in British North America (modern-day Canada ) abolished the slave trade, freed slaves immigrating by choice or force, as well as children born to enslaved women subsequently upon their 25th birthday, but did not emancipate existing resident slaves. In 1805

6762-427: The summer of 1778, the Americans began the campaign known as the Battle of Rhode Island . This was the first joint operation between the Americans and the French after the signing of the Treaty of Alliance . The Americans based in Tiverton planned a formal siege of the town, but the French refused to take part, instead preferring a frontal assault. This weakened the American position, and the British were able to expel

6860-429: The three capital cities of America; namely, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia." On July 10, 1780, a French expedition arrived in Narragansett Bay off Newport with an army of 450 officers and 5,300 men, sent by King Louis XVI and commanded by Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau . For the rest of the war, Newport served as the base of the French forces in the United States. In July 1781, Rochambeau

6958-411: The time, it encouraged British action to press other nation states to abolish their own slave trades. It took effect on 1 May 1807, after 18 years of trying to pass an abolition bill. Many of the supporters thought the act would lead to the end of slavery. Slavery on English soil was unsupported in English law and that position was confirmed in Somerset's case in 1772, but it remained legal in most of

7056-604: The trade, such as "the usurping King of Lagos ", who was deposed in 1851. Anti-slavery treaties were signed with over 50 African rulers. In the 1860s, David Livingstone 's reports of atrocities within the Arab slave trade in East Africa stirred up the interest of the British public, reviving the flagging abolitionist movement. The Royal Navy throughout the 1870s attempted to suppress "this abominable Eastern trade", at Zanzibar in particular. In 1890 Britain handed control of

7154-606: The upper classes of African tribes. The slave ships came from London , Liverpool and Bristol ; from Newport, Rhode Island in the North American colonies; and from France and Denmark . They transported slaves mostly to European colonies in the Caribbean and the American South . Bunce Island was an important British commercial outpost and an attractive target during times of war. French naval forces attacked

7252-547: The war ended (1783). Over 200 abandoned buildings were torn down in the 1780s. The war destroyed Newport's economic wealth, because years of military occupation closed the city to any form of trade. It was in Newport that the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to ratify the Constitution in 1790 and become the 13th state, acting under pressure from the merchant community of Providence. The city

7350-470: The world's seas, established the West Africa Squadron in 1808 to patrol the coast of West Africa, and between 1808 and 1860 they seized approximately 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans who were aboard. The Royal Navy declared that ships transporting slaves would be treated the same as pirates . Action was also taken against African kingdoms which refused to sign treaties to outlaw

7448-637: The year. 8°34′12″N 13°02′25″W  /  8.569914°N 13.040219°W  / 8.569914; -13.040219 Slave Trade Act 1807 The Slave Trade Act 1807 ( 47 Geo. 3 Sess. 1 . c. 36), officially An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade , was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prohibiting the slave trade in the British Empire . Although it did not automatically emancipate those enslaved at

7546-413: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05, and the average family size was 2.82. The age distribution was 16.5% under the age of 18, 16.3% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males. For

7644-407: Was 75.91% (19,102) white or European American (73.62% non-Hispanic white ), 5.93% (1,492) black or African-American , 0.86% (217) Native American or Alaska Native , 1.76% (444) Asian , 0.06% (16) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian , 6.08% (1,530) from other races , and 9.39% (2,362) from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race was 11.82% (2,975) of the population. Of

7742-593: Was Jacob Rodrigues Rivera, who arrived in 1745 (died 1789). Rivera introduced the manufacture of sperm oil , derived from sperm whales. This became one of Newport's leading industries and made the town a wealthy, prominent whaling community. Newport developed 17 manufacturers of oil and candles, and enjoyed a practical monopoly of this trade until the American Revolution . Aaron Lopez is also credited with making Newport an important center of trade. He encouraged 40 Portuguese Jewish families to settle there, and Newport had 150 vessels engaged in trade within 14 years. Lopez

7840-534: Was a highly profitable enterprise. During the second half of the eighteenth century, the companies sent thousands of slaves from Bunce Island to plantations on the British and French colonies in the West Indies , and to Britain's North American colonies . Bance Island House, the headquarters building where the Chief Agent lived with his senior officers, was at the centre of the castle. Immediately behind it

7938-473: Was also completed on the Claiborne Pell Bridge . The Preservation Society of Newport County began opening Newport's historic mansions to the public, and the tourist industry has become Newport's primary commercial enterprise over the subsequent years. Newport is located at 41°29′17″N 71°18′45″W  /  41.48806°N 71.31250°W  / 41.48806; -71.31250 . It is

8036-623: Was displayed to museums all across the U.S. which is now held by the Sierra Leone National Museum . Bunce Island was first settled and fortified by English slave traders circa 1670. During its early history, the castle was operated by two London-based firms: the Royal Africa Company and its offshoot, the Gambia Adventurers, the latter a "Crown-chartered company" or parastatal subsidised by

8134-534: Was elected as the first governor. The Old Colony House at the head of Washington Square in Newport served as the seat of Rhode Island's government from 1741 until the current Rhode Island State House was completed in Providence in 1904. At that time, Providence became the state's sole capital city. Newport was the most important port in colonial Rhode Island, and a public school was established in 1640. The commercial activity that raised Newport to its fame as

8232-428: Was estimated to be 41.0% of the population. 14.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 15.5% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 106.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 108.3 males. The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that

8330-536: Was finally able to leave Newport for Providence to begin the decisive march to Yorktown, Virginia , along with General George Washington . The Rochambeau Monument in King Park on Wellington Avenue commemorates Rochambeau's contributions to the Revolutionary War and to Newport's history. Newport's population fell from over 9,000 (according to the census of 1774) to fewer than 4,000 by the time that

8428-596: Was granted. From the mid-17th century, the religious tolerance in Newport attracted numbers of Quakers , known also as the Society of Friends . The Great Friends Meeting House in Newport (1699) is the oldest existing structure of worship in Rhode Island. In 1727, James Franklin (brother of Benjamin Franklin ) printed the Rhode-Island Almanack in Newport. In 1732, he published the first newspaper,

8526-478: Was inhabited by a small group of abolitionists and free blacks. Reverend Samuel Hopkins , minister at Newport's First Congregational Church , has been called "America's first abolitionist". Among subscribers to Hopkins' writings were 17 free black citizens, most of whom lived in Newport. This community of freemen, including Newport Gardner , founded the Free African Union Society in 1780,

8624-498: Was involved in the slave trade, as were other shipping magnates, and the manufacture of spermaceti candles, ships, barrels, rum, chocolate, textiles, clothes, shoes, hats, and bottles. Lopez became the wealthiest man in Newport, but he was denied citizenship on religious grounds, even though British law protected the rights of Jews to become citizens in England. Lopez appealed to the Rhode Island colonial legislature for redress and

8722-827: Was known as the Ministry of All the Talents . Grenville himself led the fight to pass the bill in the House of Lords , while in the Commons the bill was led by the Foreign Secretary , Lord Howick (Charles Grey, later Earl Grey). Other events also played a part; the Acts of Union 1800 brought 100 Irish MPs into Parliament, most of whom supported abolition. The Bill was first introduced to Parliament in January 1807. It went to

8820-421: Was open to tourists as a "house museum", but has since been purchased and reconverted into a private residence. Many of the other mansions are open to tourists, and others were converted into academic buildings for Salve Regina College in the 1930s, when the owners could no longer afford their tax bills. In the mid-19th century, a large number of Irish immigrants settled in Newport. The Fifth Ward of Newport in

8918-510: Was passed a year earlier, and with the economic incentives of the slave trade coming to an end, there was both a spike in the number of slaves being traded and a unification of political factions against the trade. The act created fines for ship captains who continued with the trade. These fines could be up to £100 per enslaved person found on a ship. Captains would sometimes dump captives overboard when they saw Navy ships coming in order to avoid these fines. The Royal Navy , which then controlled

9016-491: Was raided by José Lopez da Moura, a Luso-African slave trader based in the area. He was the richest man in present-day territory of Sierra Leone, the grandson of a Mane king and part of the hybrid Luso-African community that had developed along the lower rivers. This class acted as middlemen, resisting efforts by the Royal African Company to monopolise trade with African rulers. Lopez led others in destroying

9114-549: Was refused with this ruling: Inasmuch as the said Aaron Lopez hath declared himself by religion a Jew, this Assembly doth not admit himself nor any other of that religion to the full freedom of this Colony. So that the said Aaron Lopez nor any other of said religion is not liable to be chosen into any office in this colony nor allowed to give vote as a free man in choosing others. Lopez persisted by applying for citizenship in Massachusetts Bay Colony , where it

9212-508: Was temporarily moved north from Annapolis, Maryland . From 1952 to 1973, it hosted the Cruiser-Destroyer Force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet , and subsequently, it has hosted smaller numbers of warships from time to time. Today it hosts Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) and remains home to the U.S. Naval War College , the center for Surface Warfare Officer training, the Navy Supply Corps School and other schools, and

9310-578: Was the last residence of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and the birthplace of Commodore Matthew C. Perry and Unitarian William Ellery Channing . Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, wealthy southern planters seeking to escape the heat began to build summer cottages on Bellevue Avenue, such as Kingscote (1839). Around the middle of the century, wealthy northerners, such as the Wetmore family, began construction on larger mansions, such as Chateau-sur-Mer (1852) nearby. Most of these early families made

9408-442: Was the mother of George H.W. Bush. In 1948, Bunce Island was designated Sierra Leone's first officially protected historic site. The same year, Sierra Leonean amateur historian and medical doctor M.C.F. Easmon led an expedition that cleared the vegetation, mapped the ruins and photographed them for the first time. Research at the island has been underway since the 1970s. A hurricane struck in 1974, damaging structures. Bunce Island

9506-423: Was the open-air slave yard, which was divided between a large area for men and a smaller one for women and children. Remnants of two watchtowers, a fortification with places for eight cannons, and a gunpowder magazine remain standing. Some of the cannons bear the royal cypher of King George III . At the south end of the island, several inscribed tombstones mark the graves of slave traders, slave ship captains, and

9604-627: Was unsuccessful and in March 1792, the settlement of Freetown was founded as the basis for the second and only permanent Colony of Sierra Leone. The Atlantic slave trade continued to be legal for the next two decades. In 1807 the British parliament voted to abolish the slave trade . The following year Freetown became a Crown Colony and the Royal Navy based its Africa Squadron there. They sent regular patrols to search for slave vessels violating

#211788