How enslaved people fought for freedom across the Atlantic
Sudhir Hazareesingh highlights forgotten uprisings by enslaved people across the Atlantic, and explores how resistance to slavery is as old as slavery itself
From armed uprisings in the Caribbean to the hidden power of ritual, song and solidarity, the story of enslaved people’s resistance is far richer and more radical than has often been told. In this episode, Sudhir Hazareesingh speaks to Danny Bird about his new book Daring to be Free, which draws on fragmentary archives and oral traditions to highlight the forgotten people who resisted their enslavers, explores the global reverberations of the Haitian Revolution, and reveals the central role of women in shaping struggles for freedom.
Sudhir Hazareesingh is the author of Daring to be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World (Allen Lane, 2025).
Authors
Danny Bird is Content Producer for BBC History Magazine and was previously staff writer for BBC History Revealed. He joined the History team in 2022. Fascinated with the past since childhood, Danny completed his History BA at the University of Sheffield, developing a special interest in the Spanish Civil War and the Paris Commune. He subsequently gained his History MA from University College London, studying at its School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES)