Prompt Cast
The Life of Francis Barber: From Slavery to Samuel Johnson's Household
TLDR Francis Barber, born into slavery in Jamaica, was brought to Britain by Colonel Batist and baptized with a new name. He caught the attention of Samuel Johnson, who took him in as a servant, and lived in Johnson's eccentric and unique household.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This episode of Empire discusses the life of Francis Barber, a man who played a significant role in Samuel Johnson's life.
04:15
Alexander D'Rimple, an employee of the East India Company, had ambitions of exploring a land mass at the bottom of the world to prove a theory of balance and proportion, but was replaced by James Cook who led the voyage instead.
08:25
Dr. Johnson questioned whether the colonization of distant lands actually made people happier, as he reviewed a map of North America and saw the irony in the promises of wealth and progress.
12:38
Francis Barber, born in Jamaica as a slave named Qashy, grew up in a violent and oppressive environment on the Orange River Estates, where small infractions were severely punished.
17:26
Francis Barber, formerly known as Quashy, was born into slavery on the Orange River Estates in Jamaica and was treated as a worker from a young age, but his life changed when he was brought to Britain by Colonel Batist and baptized with a new name, becoming a member of the Church of England.
22:05
After being baptized and given the name Francis Barber, the young boy is sent to a school in Richmond, Yorkshire, where he is alone and likely the only black face in the area.
26:31
Francis Barber, after being displaced from a world full of black people to a world full of white people, catches the attention of Samuel Johnson, who takes him in as a servant or a young boy in need, but the arrangement is seen differently by both parties.
31:01
Dr. Johnson's household, where Francis Barber enters, is described as a madhouse with Johnson's eccentricities and playful nature, as well as his formidable physical presence.
35:07
Dr. Johnson's household is described as wild and filled with eccentric and unique individuals, including a drunk visiting physician, a blind housekeeper, and a practitioner of physics, with Johnson himself often sinking into periods of depression.
39:23
Samuel Johnson's compassionate attitude towards people, including his black heir Francis Barber, was unusual for the time, as attitudes towards race in 1750 were often based on theories of degeneracy or polygenesis that justified the inferior treatment of black people.
Categories:
History
