’1619,’ Episode 2: The Economy That Slavery Built

<p>Today on “The Daily,” we present Episode 2 of “1619,” a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/30/podcasts/1619-slavery-cotton-capitalism.html" target="_blank">nytimes.com/1619podcast</a>.</p><p>The institution of slavery turned a poor, fledgling nation into a financial powerhouse, and the cotton plantation was America’s first big business. Behind the system, and built into it, was the whip. Guests: Matthew Desmond, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and the author of “Evicted,” and Jesmyn Ward, the author of “Sing, Unburied, Sing.”</p><p><em>This episode includes scenes of graphic violence.</em></p><p>Background reading:</p><ul><li>“As the large slave-labor camps grew increasingly efficient, enslaved black people became America’s first modern workers,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html" target="_blank">Matthew Desmond writes</a>.</li><li>The “1619” audio series is part of The 1619 Project, a major initiative from The Times observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html" target="_blank">Read more from the project here</a>.</li></ul>