American Slavery: 1619-1877
by Peter Kolchin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Peter KolchinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2003-09-01
ISBN: 0809016303
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Hill and Wang
Book Reviews of American Slavery: 1619-1877
Book Review: Solid, concise, non-ideological survey of field
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is exactly what it says that it is: a short, thorough, scholarly history of American slavery. It provides an excellent introduction to a complex subject.
The virtues of this book are its balance and its brevity. It has no visible ideological ax to grind. The author's perspective is that of a professor of American history, who is very into his own field. He seems to nicely summarize the evidence in the field, and to fairly sum up the different controversies in the field.
This book seems to me to mark the coming of age of this field. In the past, American slavery was an ideologically polarized field. Early 20th century histories, of course, were largely racist, and apologists for slavery, with the notable exception of W.E.B. DuBois. Then, of course, there was a great wave of revisionist history in the 1960s and 1970s, which was largely pro-Civil Rights and fiercely in favor of Reconstruction.
This book seems to me to mark the changing of the guard in this field. Now, it is not a speciality that arouses great political passions, one way or the other. Now, of course, everyone agrees that slavery was an evil and that its departure was a great good. But, with the fading of the passions of the past, it becomes possible to look at the past more dispassionately. This book, for example, deals with nuance and sensitivity with such charged questions as the paternalism of the slaveholders, which Kolchin sees as severly limited but nonetheless emotionally real. He seems able to see both slaves and slaveholders, in short, as human beings caught up in an evil and degrading system.
Read this book if you want an introduction to this subject. It is a great place to start.
Summary of American Slavery: 1619-1877
The single best short survey in America, now updated.Includes a New Preface and Afterward
In terms of accessibility and comprehensive coverage, Kolchin's American Slavery is a singularly important achievement. Now updated to address a decade of new scholarship, the book includes a new preface, afterword, and revised and expanded bibliographic essay. It remains the best book to introduce a subject of profound and lasting importance, one that lies at the center of American history.
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