“Congregationalism and Slavery” will be the topic of a lecture Friday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the First Church of Christ, Congregational, 34 West Main Street.
Wm. Frank Mitchell, assistant director and curator for the Amistad Center for Art and Culture in Hartford, will be the speaker.
The program is part of a lecture series sponsored by the 375th Anniversary Committee of the Church.
The Amistad Incident of 1839 tells the story of 53 Africans who had been abducted from West Africa. While aboard the ship “Amistad,” on their way toward enslavement in Havana, the Africans revolted. They ordered the ship back to West Africa, but were tricked by the crew; the ship ended up off Long Island. The Africans were jailed and faced murder and piracy charges. A defense committee was formed and followed the case to the United States Supreme Court, where it was ruled that the accused were to be freed.
Cultural conflict
The next lecture, “Cultural Conflict at Wepawaug,” will be Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. when Tim Chaucer will talk about the 17th century English settlers and the indigenous population with roots going back thousands of years.
Chaucer is director of the Milford Marine Institute, Inc. and operates the Gulf Pond Museum that was founded in 1983 with the support of the Milford Recreation Department, city officials and those determined to immerse young people in the natural and social sciences.
For more information, contact Robin Lewis at 203-876-8137.