The Welsh and American Slavery
More about the series
Programme One
1619 - 1776
Dr. Jerry Hunter,at Welsh Tract, Delaware
"The land of the free" - the national anthem of the USA concludes with these words. And yet, Washington, the country's first president, had over two hundred slaves! This allegedly free country is partly based on slavery, and even today, the United States is still coming to terms with its history as America Gaeth (Enslaved America)...
In this programme, Dr. Jerry Hunter will be looking at the roots of slavery in the United States, from 1619 when the first slaves were sold on the mainland of North America, until 1776 when the United States insisted on freedom from Britain. He will visit the tobacco plantations of Virginia, a Welsh church in Delaware and a slaves pen from Kentucky on his journey.
He also asks why so many Americans, even today, have Welsh surnames, and will be relating the stories of some of the Welsh people who were involved with the enslaving of their forbears, such as the slave ship captain Thomas Phillips, or the poet and slave master Goronwy Owen.
America Gaeth a'r Cymry © S4C 2006