Peter Faneuil: Empire of Goods, Wealth, and Enslavement

“With the net proceeds of the same purchase for me, for the use of my house, as likely a strait negro lad as possibly you can, about the age from twelve to fifteen years.”

– Peter Faneuil to Captain Peter Buckley, February 3, 1738/9

 

Duration:

1 minute, 21 seconds

Many merchants in colonial Boston owned and trafficked in enslaved people and profited from the goods produced by enslaved labor. Peter Faneuil, the benefactor of the iconic building that bears his name, built a Transatlantic financial empire as one of these elite colonial Boston merchants. Join us as we explore the complicated legacy of Peter Faneuil and the central role of slavery in shaping Boston’s 18th century economy.

 

Sugar, Salt Cod, & Enslaved Africans

The Atlantic Empire of Peter Faneuil

 

 

Peter Faneuil's Complicated Legacy

 

 

Slavery & Law in Early Massachusetts

 

Invoices and Day Books

Piecing together Faneuil's Empire