Stealing America: Newport Talk Reveals Hidden History of Indigenous Enslavement

At the Colony House in Washington Square, Newport, Rhode Island, a single evening lecture peels back a neglected layer of American history. 'Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in U.S. History' presents a six-hundred-year arc that reframes familiar narratives of colonization, revolution, and expansion. The talk confronts how nearly 600,000 Native Americans were enslaved across North America, how captured Indigenous people were sometimes deliberately misidentified as Black slaves, and how that reality fed labor systems from northern farms to southern plantations and into transatlantic trade. Inside a brick meeting room that overlooks one of Newport's oldest civic squares, the presentation traces early seizures of people and land predating 1619, the paradox of colonial liberty, and the postwar policies that accelerated dispossession. Attendees who arrive to the 5:00pm reception are primed for a 6:00pm lecture that blends archival evidence, shipping records, and oral histories to demonstrate how Indigenous bondage persisted into the nineteenth century, and how forced removal of children into boarding schools and white households extended cultural violence well past emancipation. This program is not a passive slide show; it pairs sweeping chronology with sharp local relevance. Newport's layered waterfront and cobbled streets set a fitting backdrop: places where merchant ships once carried not only goods but people. The lecture is the most comprehensive single treatment of Indigenous enslavement available in the region, clarifying how land theft and coerced labor are intertwined in the making of the United States. Copies of Stealing America will be available for purchase from Charter Books at the Colony House before and after the event. Practical details are concise: admission tiers range from Student with ID at $10 to non‑NHS members at $20, with discounted rates for NHS members and military. The program runs about an hour and includes a light reception that creates a chance to discuss difficult material with historians and neighbors afterward. Accessibility and group-size specifics are limited—contact the host for accommodations. Why visit? For travelers who come to Newport for its colonial architecture and coastal light, this lecture offers a different view: the city as a crossroads where early American ideals and brutal realities met. It's essential listening for history-minded visitors, educators, and anyone who wants to leave the harbor walk with a deeper, more complicated understanding of this place and the nation it helped build. Presented as a Newport Historical Society Tavern Talk, the evening encourages conversation: scholars, students, and local residents often linger at the reception to compare notes. Bring a notebook and arrive early to find seating at the Colony House; Charter Books will have copies of the book for signing. Tickets are available through the event booking link and complement Newport's history offerings and context.