For centuries, Black mariners plied the waters of the Atlantic world. From the decks of ships that traversed vast distances between Brazil, Portugal, West Africa, and beyond, through dangerous swells and past enemy fleets, enslaved seamen connected continents as they labored for the Portuguese Empire in the Age of Revolutions. Despite their enslavement, they made a world that was their own.

In this episode, Dr. Jim Ambuske talks with historian Mary Hicks, Ph.D, about these "captive cosmopolitans," who traded goods on their own accounts, infused Brazil with West African religions, foods, and fashions, and used Royal edicts pronounced in Lisbon to argue for their freedom.

Hosted by Dr. Jim Ambuske. Executive producers are Dr. Lynn Price Robbins, Jeanette Patrick, and Patrick Long. Audio and video editing by Patrick Long.
Revolutions in Retrospect is a joint production of Primary Source Media and Revolutionary Histories.

Learn More:
Mary Hicks, University of Chicago https://history.uchicago.edu/directory/mary-hicks
Purchase Captive Cosmopolitans: Black Mariners and the World of South Atlantic Slavery 2024) at https://bookshop.org/shop/RevolutionaryHistories

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Alexander Hamilton was just 25 when he was elected to the Continental Congress. Abigail Adams was 31 when she urged her husband John to "Remember the Ladies." Thomas Jefferson was only 32 when he drafted the Declaration of Independence. Today, we tend to picture all of them as older, grey-haired figures rather than ambitious and youthful. But as America aged, so did its leaders.In this episode, Dr. Lynn Price Robbins talks with Rebecca Brannon, Ph.D. about the gerontocracy the founders didn't want.

Executive produced by Dr. Jim Ambuske, Dr. Lynn Price Robbins, Jeanette Patrick, and Patrick Long. Audio and video editing by Patrick Long. Revolutions in Retrospect is a joint production of Primary Source Media and Revolutionary Histories.

In 1824, nearly 50 years after he first set foot on American shores, the Marquis de Lafayette returned to the United States of America. He longed to see the progress of the nation he helped to found, a nation whose work he knew remained unfinished. And so, in the summer of 1824, Lafayette returned to his adopted home one last time, before he bid his last adieu.

In this episode, Dr. Jim Ambuske talks with Ryan L. Cole about Lafayette's final journey to the United States, a moment that held up a mirror to Revolutionary America. Purchase Ryan L. Cole's The Last Adieu: Lafayette's Triumphant Return, the Echoes of Revolution, and the Gratitude of the Republic.

Hosted by Dr. Jim Ambuske. Executive producers are Dr. Lynn Price Robbins, Jeanette Patrick, and Patrick Long. Audio and video editing by Patrick Long. Revolutions in Retrospect is a joint production of Primary Source Media and Revolutionary Histories.