Behind the Bastards Part One: X-Mas Special: The Heroes Who Ended The Slave Trade
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Dec 23, 2025 In this enlightening discussion, author and podcaster James Stout, known for his book Against the State, joins the hosts to explore the heroes of the abolition movement. They dive into the grim origins of the Atlantic slave trade and its transformation of Britain into an economic powerhouse. Stout highlights early abolitionists like the Quakers and the pivotal Zong massacre that ignited organized efforts against slavery. The conversation also reflects on the everyday complicity of British institutions and how cultural shifts remarkably led to the ban of the slave trade in 1807.
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Change From Unlikely Coalitions
- A ragtag mix of intellectuals, freed slaves, lawyers, and former slavers led a decades-long campaign to end the Atlantic slave trade.
- Their sustained, messy perseverance shows large social change can come from unlikely coalitions over long time horizons.
Atlantic Trade's Unique Brutality
- The Atlantic slave trade brought uniquely extreme cruelty compared with older forms of slavery like Rome's system.
- The Middle Passage and plantation mortality made this trade historically singular in its brutality.
Sugar Fueled The Trade
- Portugal began coastal forts for gold that quickly morphed into slave-trading hubs as sugar demand exploded.
- Sugar's huge profits and deadly labor needs drove Europeans to rely on African slave supply networks.
