American Irony: Religious Freedom and Slavery in Colonial Rhode Island

Keith Stokes presents, “American Irony: Religious Freedom and Slavery in Colonial Rhode Island,” about the simultaneous rise of religious freedom and African heritage enslavement in Colonial Rhode Island. The presentation will uniquely present Newport and Providence’s religious, civic, and commerce evolution through the voices and experiences of enslaved and later free African heritage people, including the founding of several of the earliest free African heritage education, civic and religious institutions in America.