What Dominic Sandbrook has said about Slavery in Brazil
3 quotes · 1 episode · Jun 21, 2026
Dominic Sandbrook, British historian, author and co-host of The Rest Is History, has been quoted on Slavery in Brazil 3 times in 1 episode of The Rest Is History, most recently on June 21, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.
In their words
Sandbrook argues that slavery is the defining institution of Brazilian history, more so even than in the United States.
“This is the defining institution of Brazilian history, much more so than the United States”
The Rest Is History: 681. Brazil: The Emperor’s Anthem (Part 5) (Jun 21, 2026) · Listen from 7:11
Sandbrook states that almost half of trans-Atlantic enslaved West Africans, four to five million people, ended up on Brazilian plantations.
“almost half of the West African slaves transported across the Atlantic ended up on Brazilian plantations. So we're talking about four to five million people”
The Rest Is History: 681. Brazil: The Emperor’s Anthem (Part 5) (Jun 21, 2026) · Listen from 7:20
Sandbrook argues that an enslaved person would have fared better in the United States, since life expectancy for slaves was about 35 there versus 25 in Brazil.
“in the United States, as a slave, you die at the age of 35. As a slave in Brazil, you die at the age of 25”
The Rest Is History: 681. Brazil: The Emperor’s Anthem (Part 5) (Jun 21, 2026) · Listen from 8:47
Episodes
681. Brazil: The Emperor’s Anthem (Part 5)The Rest Is History · Jun 21, 2026 · 1 h 10 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace Brazil's national anthem from Dom Pedro I's independence hymn through decades without lyrics to its 1922 text and protest uses.
Dominic Sandbrook on other topics
- Ku Klux Klan · 13 quotes
- Mayerling incident · 8 quotes
- Burr–Hamilton duel · 8 quotes
- Fall of Maximilien Robespierre · 7 quotes
- Gallipoli campaign · 7 quotes
- Deutschlandlied · 6 quotes
- The Star-Spangled Banner · 5 quotes
- Winston Churchill and the Dardanelles · 5 quotes