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Revisiting Spielberg’s Amistad

The legal case surrounding the vessel, La Amistad, has not been an event well-taught by American history textbooks, especially given its landmark importance in the global history of slavery. In history, the event unfolded as such: in June 1839, the Spanish vessel, La Amistad left Havana, Cuba with Captain Ramon Ferrer transporting illegally abducted Africans to work on sugar plantations. Mid-route on July first, the captives rose up, killed the captain and the cook, seized the ship, and entrusted the crew members Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montez to direct the vessel back to Africa.

Not Enslaved but Also Not Free: Connecticut Courts and Free Black Citizenship, 1818–1865

A look into the history of the political status of free Black people in Connecticut before the Civil War reveals the unique position held by the state in larger national conversations over the citizenship of free Black people. Historical analysis of the state’s history reveals that Connecticut occupies a conflicted, yet influential, space in the history of American racism, citizenship, and equal protection.

Wesleyan Hiring Two 2-year Mellon Post-Docs

Wesleyan University is seeking candidates for two post-doctoral positions through the Carceral Connecticut Project. Please see job postings for the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Public History and the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Visual and Digital Storytelling. Both positions begin July 1, 2022.

The Middletown Press Reports on the Carceral Connecticut Project

On February 21, 2022, The Middletown Press reported that The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded $1.06 million to the “Carceral Connecticut Project: The History of Race, Capitalism, and Violence in the Connecticut River Valley” at Wesleyan University. Wesleyan was one of 12 liberal arts colleges across the country to receive a grant as part …

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Mellon Foundation Supports Connecticut History Project at Wesleyan

On January 28, 2022, The Wesleyan Connection reported that the Carceral Connecticut Project at Wesleyan University had received a three-year, $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as part of its Humanities for All Times initiative. The project will investigate Connecticut’s racial, industrial, and political history from an interdisciplinary perspective through innovative courses, …

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