26 Best Slavery Podcasts to Listen to (2026)

Cotton Capital is a podcast series that explores how transatlantic slavery shaped the Guardian, Manchester, Britain and the world. Stemming from an investigation into the Guardian founder's own links to slavery, this ongoing series explores that history and its enduring legacies today. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts more

The Reckoning traces the history and lasting impact of slavery in America by looking at how the institution unfolded in Kentucky. The state remained in the Union during the Civil War, but many white Kentuckians fought to hang onto slavery and the wealth the enslaved provided. In the years that followed, former Unionists and Confederates banded together to violently deny black citizens a seat at the table. As part of this story, we will meet members of two families, one white and one black, whose lives were intertwined through slavery. These families reflect how slavery touched nearly every person, place and institution in America, and how the country still needs to reconcile this painful past with the the impact slavery has had on the present day health, wealth and safety of African Americans. more

This podcast explores how and why slavery came to Texas, what life was like for enslaved Texans, and how slavery has shaped the Texas economy and culture. https://theotherside1865.com/ more

In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story.'1619' is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. more

America is divided, and it always has been. We're going back to the moment when that split turned into war. This is Uncivil: Gimlet Media's new history podcast, hosted by journalists Jack Hitt and Chenjerai Kumanyika. We ransack the official version of the Civil War, and take on the history you grew up with. We bring you untold stories about covert operations, corruption, resistance, mutiny, counterfeiting, antebellum drones, and so much more. And we connect these forgotten struggles to the political battlefield we're living on right now. more

Black scuba divers across the world are searching for buried shipwrecks from the transatlantic slave trade, when millions of enslaved Africans were trafficked to the Americas during the 15th to the 19th centuries. A new six-part podcast series, Into the Depths, follows National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts as she sets off on the journey of a lifetime to meet the divers, marine archaeologists, descendants of those brought over on ships, and historians investigating the lost stories of the slave trade. She's inspired to share their accounts both to expand the historical record and to honor the estimated 1.8 million unsung souls who perished during the Middle Passage. Along the way, Tara meets up with her family and friends, spiritual advisers, and even a poet to help tell those ancestral stories, and delves into her own roots—challenging her assumptions about home and belonging. more

What we don't know about American history hurts us all. Teaching Hard History begins with the long legacy of slavery and reaches through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the civil rights movement into the present day. Brought to you by Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) and hosted by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries and Dr. Bethany Jay, Teaching Hard History brings us the lessons we should have learned in school through the voices of scholars and educators. It's great advice for teachers and good information for everybody. more

Highlighting true stories of Black people's fight for liberation, progress and joy from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. Seizing Freedom illustrates the myriad ways Black people have sought and defined their own freedom in spite of the monumental forces at work to keep them from it. more

Exploring the true story of British involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and how it touches every part of the nation. Hosted by Moya Lothian-McLean, a journalist and descendent of both Black African Slaves and White slave owners or overseers. more

The Global Center for Women and Justice launched the Ending Human Trafficking podcast in April 2011. Our mantra is Study the Issues. Be a voice. Make a difference. We believe that if you do not study first, you may say or do the wrong thing. The National Family and Youth Services Clearinghouse promoted EHT as 'a good way to get up to speed on human trafficking'. Our audience includes students, community leaders, and even government leaders. EHT listeners come from all corners of the world, which accomplishes our mission of building a global community that works together to end human exploitation. more

Until All Are Free is an immersive podcast bearing witness to human rights violations worldwide through investigative storytelling and interviews with survivors, investigators, and advocates. Hosted by Preston Goff, VP of Global Communications at The Exodus Road, we bear witness to exploitation worldwide — from trafficking and forced labor to sextortion, climate displacement, and the systems that create vulnerability. We choose to not look away, but to be challenged and create a more free world. more

Intertwined tells the story of the more than 577 people enslaved by George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon. Told through the biographies of Sambo Anderson, Davy Gray, William Lee, Kate, Ona Judge, Nancy Carter Quander, Edmund Parker, Caroline Branham, and the Washingtons, this eight-part podcast series explores the lives and labors of Mount Vernon's enslaved community, and how we interpret slavery at the historic site today. Intertwined is narrated by Brenda Parker and is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and CD Squared. www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com more

America has never faced up to the atrocities its massive wealth was built on — or the racism that still plagues us today. It's high time for reparations to Black Americans. In each episode, Harvard lawyers (and longtime friends) Tony and Adam expose a story of racial injustice — then explore creative ways to make it right. The show features special guests who are on the front lines fighting for justice. We're making the case for full national reparations, one story at a time. more

Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most controversial novels of the last century, with it's sentimental portrayal of the anti-slavery movement in the USA. Written in 1852, the novel instantly rose to fame and split Americans up and down the country. Stowe was a passionate abolitionist and was inspired to write Uncle Tom when she spent time in Cincinnati in the early part of the 18th century. She met many slaves who had escaped from Kentucky and was touched by the friendships she built. It was with this sentiment that the novel was born and the deep empathy Stowe had for slaves is evident throughout.As you would expect, the book was hugely provocative with pro-slavery supporters outraged by the negative portrayal of masters within the slave trade. It was said to be so incendiary that Abraham Lincoln claimed Stowe to be 'the little lady who started this great war'. It is not clear if that quote is genuine but the hype Stowe created both before and after the civil war is definitely real. The novel follows the story of long suffering slave Tom and mother and son duo Eliza and Harry. Whilst Tom is sold down the river by his master, Eliza and her son manage to escape the clutches of slavery.There is no doubt in the genuineness of Howe's wish to uncover the slave trade for all of its sins. Pleasingly the book ends with an optimistic outlook, one that shook the government at the time and one sure to shake you. more

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation. He faced hardship as a child, but later encountered owners who were relatively liberal and allowed him to learn to read, write and be in contact with freed slaves. At the age of 20, he escaped from the plantation and made his way to New York. Though he remained a fugitive, he married and changed his name to avoid being caught. He continued his education and became involved in the Abolitionist Movement. He began touring the country, speaking passionately about the unjust, cruel and inhuman practice of slavery. However, he began to face opposition from quarters that he least expected.Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass traces the turbulent, tragic and shameful period in the history of the United States. Douglass was also a gifted and committed public speaker, outspoken in his criticism of this inhuman practice. The book, published in 1845, originally entitled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself, was met with disbelief when it initially came out. Few could believe that an African American slave could write so eloquently and have such perfect use of the English language. However, Douglass had used real names, events and places in his story, which could be easily verified and this silenced his critics.Yet, his troubles were not over. His former masters were still entitled to track him down, and fearing capture, he departed for the UK where he was received with great warmth and respect. He stayed for two years till two of his British friends contributed to purchase his freedom. He then returned to America where he arrived at the dawn of the American Civil War. He started a newspaper and campaigned tirelessly for Lincoln and the abolition of slavery. He was also the first African American to be nominated for the post of Vice President of the USA. Narrative... was the first of several autobiographies, in which Douglass documented his eventful life.The book is divided into 11 chapters, tracing Douglass' childhood on the Maryland plantation, the daily cruelties practiced by slave owners, his move to Baltimore and the consequent experiences there. It is in Baltimore that he encounters more humane white people. However, even after being acclaimed as a speaker, he faced the condescending and patronizing attitude of white people. It was to counter this that he began to write his autobiography.As a slice of history, Narrative... is indeed an interesting and gripping read, and a great addition to your collection. more

Born in slavery, but being fortunate enough to be owned by a benevolent mistress, her life takes a tragic turn when her parents and her benefactor die. The new heir to the property (and slaves) is a cruel and lewd man who begins to make inappropriate advances to the lovely young slave-girl. In a bid to escape, she becomes entangled in a relationship with a neighboring landowner who promises a better life, and she even has two children. However, things become worse for her when her cruel owner decides to punish her by sending her and her children to a distant cotton plantation to be 'broken in.' She plans a devious method of escape and ends up spending seven terrible years locked up in a tiny cramped garret. Relentlessly pursued by her wicked owner, she lives in fear and desperation.Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself is one of the many slave narratives that emerged out of the terrible and inhuman atrocities committed in the nineteenth century by white Americans. Modern-day readers would find it difficult to believe that such practices existed in the 'Land of the Free.' Assisted by abominable laws like the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 endorsed by Congress, slave-owners were allowed to pursue their 'property' across the length and breadth of the country.Though there have been doubts about the authenticity of Incidents in the Life... by scholars who feel the style and content do not seem to synchronize with the attributes that a woman-slave of the period could have, there is no denying the fact that this is a powerful and thought-provoking story. There are many similarities to the more famous Uncle Tom's Cabin, the book that is supposed to have launched the American Civil War.A very stirring and poignant read for all those who value their freedom today. more

Up From Slavery is the 1901 autobiography of Booker T. Washington detailing his slow and steady rise from a slave child during the Civil War, to the difficulties and obstacles he overcame to get an education at the new Hampton University, to his work establishing vocational schools—most notably the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama—to help black people and other disadvantaged minorities learn useful, marketable skills and work to pull themselves, as a race, up by the bootstraps. He reflects on the generosity of both teachers and philanthropists who helped in educating blacks and native Americans. He describes his efforts to instill manners, breeding, health and a feeling of dignity to students. more

The Fierce Freedom Podcast aims to shine light on all aspects of modern-day slavery by sharing compelling conversations with individuals who are using their passions and talents to fight human trafficking and exploitation. By telling these stories, we hope to both educate listeners through spreading awareness and to inspire individuals to rise up and fightwithin their sphere of influence. more

New Abolitionists Radio is an award-winning podcast that started in 2012 to bring awareness to legalized slavery and human trafficking in the United States preserved by the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution. This issue is often inadequately referred to as 'mass incarceration'. Legalized slavery through prisons, jails and detention facilities and the mistreatment of those incarcerated in them constitute severe Human Rights violations per The Universal Declaration of Human Rights on a mass scale. more

Laura Plantation provides a cultural experience unlike any other in the United States. Explore the rigors of 200 years of daily life, along with the sobering experience of slavery as it happened at one historic site on the banks of the Mississippi River in the middle of New Orleans plantation country. In this podcast, Joseph Dunn, director of public relations and marketing, will be your guide into the Creole world, offering you compelling stories of the people who lived, worked, and died at this unique historic site. Real History. About real people. more

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, written in 1789, is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano. It discusses his time spent in slavery, serving primarily on galleys, documents his attempts at becoming an independent man through his study of the Bible, and his eventual success in gaining his own freedom and in business thereafter. The book contains an interesting discussion of slavery in West Africa and illustrates how the experience differs from the dehumanising slavery of the Americas. The Intereresting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is also one of the first widely read slave narratives. This work was produced to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain. more

Tianna Mobley is a Ph.D. candidate in History & Early Modern Studies at Yale University and a Fellow at Humanity in Action. 'Untold Histories of the Atlantic World' explores topics such as slavery, colonialism, and Indigenous rights throughout the Atlantic world encompassing Africa, Europe, and the Americas. This podcast invites academic scholars, literary scholars, and activists as guests. more

American Slavery Remembered honors the lives of the millions of Black people enslaved in the United States of America. Here you will find their stories read just as they were written. May we never forget the souls who lived, suffered and died in the making of America. more

The Primus Project Podcast tells a truer and fuller story of Trinity College, Hartford, and early Connecticut. Named for Rebecca Primus, a Black educator born in Hartford in 1836, the podcast features conversations with students, scholars, community members, and public historians about race, slavery, freedom, education, memory, and the pursuit of justice. Through archival research and public conversation, we uncover hidden histories and make them accessible to a wider public. Please click to subscribe! more

Henry Walton Bibb was born a slave. His father was white although his identity was not positively known. Bibb was separated from his mother at a very young age and hired out to other slave owners for most of his childhood. Always yearning for his freedom, he made his first escape from slavery in 1842. He was recaptured and escaped, recaptured and escaped over and over; but he never gave up on his desire to be a man in control of his own destiny.Bibb eventually escaped the bondage of servitude for good and dedicated his life to speaking out against the institution of slavery. In the process he helped others obtain their freedom. He published Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, and American Slave in 1849 telling the story of his daily life as a slave, as a runaway and as a free man. He also illustrated the depravity of that 'man-destroying system' and the 'idea of utter helplessness in perpetual bondage.'Bibb stated in his Author's Preface that there were other very popular slave narratives published before his own; nevertheless, the uniqueness of his story is in the details of his experiences which, like the others, shine a glaringly truthful beam of light on the sins of this nation. Ultimately Bibb made his way to Canada where in 1851 he published the first black newspaper of that Country, Voice of the Fugitive. He died in 1854 at the age of 39. (Introduction by James K. White) more

'It was my good fortune to lend a helping hand to the weary travelers flying from the land of bondage.' William Still. 'Dear Sir:—For most of the years I have lived, the escape of fugitives from slavery, and their efforts to baffle the human and other bloodhounds who tracked them, formed the romance of American History. That romance is now ended, and our grandchildren will hardly believe its leading incidents except on irresistible testimony. I rejoice that you are collecting and presenting that testimony, and heartily wish you a great success.' Horace Greeley. William Still is often called the Father of the Underground Railroad. Over 14 years, he helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom in Canada. Still was committed to preserving the stories of the bondmen and he kept careful records of the many escaped slaves who passed through the Philadelphia 'station'. The Underground Railroad was published in 1871 from Still's records and diaries. In bringing you these stories, Librivox volunteers are reading from the 1878 edition. (Summary by MaryAnn) Complete list of recordings comprising this book: The Underground Railroad, Part 1 , The Underground Railroad, Part 2 , The Underground Railroad, Part 3 , The Underground Railroad, Part 4 , The Underground Railroad, Part 5 . more