| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Hope |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Brig, or sloop [1] |
| Tons burthen | 146 [1] (bm) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
Hope was an American brig or sloop that made two voyages in the slave trade.
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Hope |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Brig, or sloop [1] |
| Tons burthen | 146 [1] (bm) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
Hope was an American brig or sloop that made two voyages in the slave trade.
Sailing out of Newport, Rhode Island Hope was involved in bringing Africans to the United States to be sold as slaves as part of the Middle Passage. [2] Hope was under the command of Captain Nathaniel Mumford, [2] when she sailed from Newport, Rhode Island, on 12 November 1764, bound for Senegambia and the offshore Atlantic islands. She arrived there in January 1765 and proceeded to purchase slaves at the Gambia. [1]
On March 17, 1765, a revolt occurred on the ship:
There was a passenger revolt aboard the brigantine Hope while it was bringing slaves from the coast of Senegal and Gambia to Connecticut. How did that happen? –Well, the captain, who had beaten several of his crewmen, had been killed and his body thrown overboard, and so the black cargo, seeing such discord among their captors, figured they maybe had a chance. In their revolt they killed one crew member and wounded several others. On this day their revolt was suppressed by killing seven of them. [2] [Note 1]
Hope had embarked 83 slaves and she landed 18 at Barbados in June. She then sailed to Newport where she arrived on 5 December. There she landed another 51. In all, she landed 69 out of 83 slaves, for a loss rate of 16.9%. [1]
Captain Mumford sailed Hope from Rhode Island on 2 June 1766. she arrived at Cape Coast Castle on 22 October and purchased 100 slaves there. She left on 22 November, and arrived back at Rhode Island on 2 February 1767. There she landed 95 slaves, for a loss rate of 5%. [1] Another account has her landing 100 slaves to Rhode Island. [2]
During America's War for Independence, Hope was used for several purposes. In 1780 a ship named Hope was used as a hospital prison ship by the British. It was also used to ship British Loyalists to New Brunswick. [3]
In August 1795, merchant John Brown of Providence, Rhode Island conspired to trade in slaves with Captain Peleg Wood. [4] Hope was the ship to be used; however, the United States had recently limited participation in the international slave trade by Congressional action in 1794. By November Hope was engaged in the slave trade again. [4] Next in March 1796, the owners of the ship were fined by Rhode Island the amount of £200 for trading in slaves, which had been outlawed in that state. [4] Then on October 5, 1797, Brown became the first American tried in federal court under the Slave Trade Act of 1794 for using Hope in the African slave trade. [4] On that voyage in 1796 the Hope had traveled to Havana, Cuba, with 229 slaves. [4]
After the forced sale, during the Quasi-War with France, Hope was captured by French privateers. [5] At this time the vessel was under the command of John Rodgers, who had served on board the USS Constellation, and was owned by Baltimore merchant James Buchanan. [5] After capture the Hope, which had been transporting tobacco, was sold at Lorient in February 1797. [5]
Captain Silas Talbot was an American military officer and slave trader. He served in the Continental Army and Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War, and is most famous for commanding USS Constitution from 1799 to 1801. Talbot was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati's New York branch.
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William Vernon, of Newport, Rhode Island, was a merchant in the Atlantic slave trade who played a leading role in the Continental Congress' maritime activities during the American Revolution. In 1774, Vernon was member of the committee of correspondence between Newport and Boston. As president of the Eastern Navy Board during the Revolution, he was responsible for building and outfitting the ships of the Continental Navy. William Vernon was one of the charter members of the Artillery Company of Newport, and is the namesake of the Vernon House.
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The Slave Trade Act of 1794 was a law passed by the United States Congress that prohibited the building or outfitting of ships in U.S. ports for the international slave trade. It was signed into law by President George Washington on March 22, 1794. This was the first of several anti-slave-trade acts of Congress. In 1800, Congress strengthened it by sharply raising the fines and awarding informants the entire value of any ship seized, as well as additional prohibitions on American investment and employment in the trade.
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Audley Clarke was a prominent banker, financier, and merchant from Newport, Rhode Island, known for his extensive involvement in the transatlantic slave trade as well his significant contributions to the local economy. Between 1790 and 1807, Clarke financed multiple slaving voyages yielding high profits and transporting hundreds of enslaved Africans to the Americas. Clarke also played a crucial role in the establishment of the Bank of Rhode Island, where he served as president for nearly three decades, and contributed land for the Newport Artillery Company’s armory. His legacy reflects both his impact on Newport's economic development and his controversial participation in the slave trade.