American Slavery: 1619-1877 (10th Anniversary Edition)

good deal

This a top notch survey of the many aspects of American slavery. The book's author, Peter Kolchin, expertly presents readers with a good grasp on how historians' views on slavery have developed, where there is disagreement, and what areas need greater exploration. Its brevity and comprehensiveness make it a book which will serve as a guide for further reading. Kolchin further assists readers in that effort by providing a wonderful bibliographic essay at the end of his book. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the uniqueness of slavery in America.

This book is well written and looks at slavery origins; the Colonial Era; The American Revolution; Antebellum Slavery and The White South; and finally the End of Slavery. The book consist of 7 chapters and 300 pages of reading...This is a good historical look at slavery in the United States...get one for yourself and you decide.

bought for class

This book was pre-owned which was how it was advertised. It was acceptable and not shabby. The book arrived within a reasonable period of time as I was told it would.

Purchased for a summer school class. Great read!

Well balanced history that provides a ton of insight in the current African American culture that is still practiced today. This should be the basis for high school study of the subject.

Very quick and in good condition!

10

Love this book. Good insight into life under slavery, useful for uni

This book is one that i need for a slavery module and it is easy to read. This book is in perfect condition and it arrived very quickly when ordered.

I was prompted to read this book, which provides an interesting and unbiased account of the history of American slavery from its colonial origins to the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War, after watching the excellent recent film 12 Years A Slave.Neatly dividing the era of slavery into three specific periods, colonial slavery, revolutionary slavery and antebellum slavery, Peter Kolchin has summarised academic developments over several decades to provide a useful overview of the institution of slavery itself, its effect on both white and black Americans, and how the institution and its effects changed over time.As I read the book, it dawned on me that I’d never really considered either the origins or the development of the slave system in the USA, although I’d have said I was familiar with it from studying certain literature and the American Civil War at school and from popular culture ever since. The book reveals that American slavery was neither homogenous nor static throughout the three periods it was in existence and that it developed over time, and that it was absolutely integral to the economy of the Southern colonies/states, becoming a millstone that held back the development of the South when compared to the more industrial North.Kolchin argues that some aspects of slavery actually got more repressive as time went on, and that the restricted autonomy of slaves and racist prejudices of the owners got worse rather than better after the American Revolution. He explains how some forms of slavery were worse than others, and outlines how the Deep South developed a harsher slave environment than the Upper South. He also concentrates on the relationship between ‘Master’ and ‘Slave’, and the paternalistic attitude that many, but not all, owner’s had for their slaves. An interesting observation was the esteem in which former slaves interviewed both immediately and many decades after abolition held their former owners. Kolchin contrasts this with treatment meted out to freedmen after abolition, where the paternalism of the former relationship was removed and the same planters became bullies or worse.The explanations of how slaves lived and developed their own communities over time were illuminating, as were the explanations of aspects of African-American culture that aren’t obviously explained such as the enthusiasm for protestant Christianity within black communities. I was also surprised to learn that the majority of slaves did not live on large plantations, but in much smaller groups, and how this in itself helped to prevent large-scale rebellion amongst the slaves, and that the natural birth-rate amongst slaves actually exceeded the number brought in by the slave trade.At times, Kolchin explains that conditions for slaves were probably not that much worse in the period than for peasants and later the working classes in other wealthy nations. However he never loses sight of the fact that what made slavery worse than other situations was what defined it as slavery in the first place; a complete lack of freedom that no amount of autonomy (even where it was available) could atone for. And the book contains many examples of where life for the slaves was unimaginably distressing.A great introduction to the subject, and an entertaining and well-balanced account of a harrowing subject, this book is well recommended.

good read