The Dutch Slave Trade: Profit, Policy, and the Middle Passage

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Dutch involvement in the transatlantic slave trade from the mid-17th century to abolition in 1863. They trace the role of the West India Company (WIC), the establishment of trading posts on the Gold Coast (Elmina), and the infamous Middle Passage to Curaçao and Suriname. The conversation covers the scale of the trade, the conditions on slave ships, and the economic integration of slavery into Dutch colonial profits. They also discuss the Zeeuwse Vereniging and the shift toward abolitionist sentiment in the 19th century. Specific figures include the WIC's monopoly and the 1773 slave revolt on the St. Jan. Names like Fort St. George and directors like Heeren XIX are mentioned. The episode ties the slave trade directly to the commodities discussed in previous episodes—sugar, coffee, indigo—and shows how enslaved labor underpinned the Dutch Golden Age.

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