Historian Seth Goldstein will discuss Maine’s complex relationship with Atlantic World African enslavement. Through a deep dive into what was known as “The West Indies Trade,” Seth will explain how various commodities like lumber and salt cod, produced in Maine, were shipped to the slave plantations of the Caribbean. In return Mainers consumed large quantities of sugar, molasses, rum, and exotic fruits produced by enslaved Africans. Portland, Maine’s largest port and fish export center, was the nexus of this exchange.

This event is FREE, but preregistration is required.