On the night of June 1, 1743, terror struck the schooner Rising Sun. After completing a routine smuggling voyage where the crew sold enslaved Africans in exchange for chocolate, sugar, and coffee in the Dutch colony of Suriname, the ship traveled eastward along the South American coast. Believing there was an opportunity to steal the lucrative cargo and make a new life for themselves, three sailors snuck below deck, murdered four people, and seized control of the vessel.
On Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Old North Church and Historic Site will host historian Jared Ross Hardesty, who will discuss Old North Church’s connection to the mutiny as detailed in his new book, Mutiny on the Rising Sun: A Tragic Tale of Slavery, Smuggling and Chocolate. His years of research on Boston’s oldest surviving church and its congregants shows how illegal trade created demand for exotic products like chocolate, and how slavery and smuggling are integral parts of Old North’s history.
Hardesty will narrate the history of smuggling, providing an incredible story of those caught in the webs spun by illicit commerce. In the 18th century, this crime was much more commonplace as European empires designed trade laws to prohibit trade outside of their colonies. The case generated a rich documentary record that illuminates an international chocolate smuggling ring, the lives of the crew and mutineers, and the harrowing experience of the enslaved people trafficked by the Rising Sun. Involved were Boston residents, prominent members of Old North Church’s congregation, who recruited ships and captains and acquired tools in exchange for chocolate.
“Even by 18th century standards, these men were buying and selling children and smuggling across imperial lines in time of war which raises questions about their patriotism,†says Hardesty. “How do you save your reputation? You become a standing member of the community by donating to the church, attending religious services, and helping those in need. The congregation members doing all of these unsavory things are the same philanthropists giving back. Old North Church was at the center of reputation laundering and Boston’s economy.â€
Like many northern historic sites, Old North Church sits at a paradoxical intersection of freedom and unfreedom. To many, its steeple is an icon of American liberty and independence. Yet, the steeple was built with the proceeds of human trafficking and enslavement that filled the coffers of early congregants. In 2019, Hardesty’s research revealed that Captain Newark Jackson – colonial congregant and chocolatier, and namesake of the historic site’s chocolate program – was murdered in a mutiny while he was transporting 15 enslaved individuals, 13 of whom were children. This horrific discovery has been the catalyst for a new reckoning for one of the most visited attractions on the Freedom Trail. Hardesty is no stranger to Boston. He holds a Ph.D. from Boston College and previously lectured at Old North Church & Historic Site. Currently, he is an associate professor of history at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. A scholar of colonial America, the Atlantic world, and the histories of labor and slavery, he has authored three books: Unfreedom: Slavery and Dependence in Eighteenth-Century Boston (New York: NYU Press, 2016), Black Lives, Native Lands, White Worlds: A History of Slavery in New England (Amherst & Boston: Bright Leaf, 2019) and Mutiny on the Rising Sun: A Tragic Tale of Smuggling, Slavery, and Chocolate (New York: NYU Press, 2021). All of his peer-reviewed publications have examined the economy, social structure, and global entanglements of eighteenth-century Boston