From 5:30PM to 6:30PM

The early history of Rhode Island horses is entwined with sugar, slaves and the slave trade. Merchants in Newport and Providence shipped Rhode Island horses far and wide to sugar colonies around the Atlantic. As Dr. Carrington-Farmer will discuss, Rhode Islanders were uniquely equipped to meet the incredible demand for horses. Horses, Slaves and Sugar will consider the specific horse breeds that Rhode Islanders developed, including the Narragansett Pacer, and will look at how horses crossed the Atlantic, the types of ships that were used, the supplies that were necessary and the related dangers. Through statistical analysis of merchant account books, Dr. Carrington-Farmer will examine where exactly Rhode Islander merchants sent their horses and with what frequency. She will show how Rhode Island’s success—and eventual decline—in the equine industry was directly tied to the wider currents of the Atlantic, particularly the sugar and slave markets. Horses, Slaves and Sugar takes place at the Newport Historical Society’s Resource Center at 82 Touro Street, Newport, RI. General admission costs $5 per person; $1 for NHS members along with active duty and retired military. Please RSVP to 401-846-0813 x110 or email mdelaire@newporthistory.org.