The enslaved people learned to adapt to their new world. One of the things i have learned growing up in newport, and before becoming involved in history and interpretation, my grandmother would remind me of as a child, slavery is how we got here. It doesnt tell you the story of the people. My interest is telling the story of the people. Clearly, people of african ancestry arrived in the americas the 70s or south america, we arrive under the most perilous and difficult circumstances of human slavery. On the other hand, we persevered. The fact that so many of African Heritage exist in newport or , or barbados,york or anywhere in the western hemisphere is a testament to our perseverance. 1639 over the course of the next 100 years, newport and the colony of rhode island would grow to become mentally one of the most active ports in british north america, but it also became the most active slave port. Between 7005 and 1805, newport were responsible for nearly 1000 slave voyages from rhode is