Inheriting the Trade - Book Talk

Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History

In 2001, at age forty-seven, Thomas DeWolf was horrified to discover that he was related to the most successful slave-trading family in United States history, responsible for transporting at least 10,000 African. His most infamous ancestor, U.S. senator James DeWolf of Bristol, Rhode Island, curried favor with Thomas Jefferson to continue in the trade after it was outlawed. When he died in 1837 he was reportedly the second-richest man in America.

When DeWolf's cousin, Katrina Browne, learned about their family's history, she was consumed with guilt. However, unlike others who might ignore their sordid legacy, she resolved to confront it head-on. Browne produced and directed a documentary feature film, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, an official competition selection in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, in which she, Tom and eight other family members retraced the steps of their ancestors and uncovered the hidden history of New England and the other northern states. Inheriting the Trade is Thomas DeWolf's powerful and disarmingly honest memoir of their journey.

Though DeWolf had never reflected on the trade before, he now faced the horrors of slavery in a direct and unmitigated way, forced to contend with the complicated legacy that continues to impact black and white Americans, Africans, and Cubans today. Their extraordinary voyage through the notorious Triangle Trade- from New England to West Africa to Cuba- proved a life-altering experience. Their journey offers a fresh look at history, tools to overcome racism, and a path toward a more hopeful future.