What do you think?
Rate this book
Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society: 1540-1866
Slavery was practiced among North American Indians long before Europeans arrived on these shores, bringing their own version of this “peculiar institution.” Unlike the European institution, however, Native American slavery was function of warfare among tribes, replenishment of population lost through intertribal conflict or disease, and establishment and preservation of tribal standards of behavior. American Indians had little use, in primary purpose of slavery among Europeans.
Theda Perdue here traces the history of slavery among the Cherokee Indians as it evolved from 1540 to 1866, indicating not only why the intrusion of whites, “slaves” contributed nothing to the Cherokee economy. During the colonial period, however, Cherokees actively began to capture members of other tribes and were themselves captured and sold to whites as chattels for the Caribbean slave trade. Also during this period, African slaves were introduced among the Indians, and when intertribal warfare ended, the use of forced labor to increase agricultural and other production emerged within Cherokee society.
Well aware that the institution of black slavery was only one of many important changes that gradually broke down the traditional Cherokee culture after 1540, Professor Perdue integrates her concern with slavery into the total picture of cultural transformation resulting from the clash between European and Amerindian societies. She has made good use of previous anthropological and sociological studies, and presents an excellent summary of the relevant historical materials, ever attempting to see cultural crises from the perspective of the Cherokees. The first over-all account of the effect of slavery upon the Cherokees, Perdue’s acute analysis and readable narrative provide the reader with a new angle of vision on the changing nature of Cherokee culture under the impact of increasing contact with Europeans.
Theda Perdue here traces the history of slavery among the Cherokee Indians as it evolved from 1540 to 1866, indicating not only why the intrusion of whites, “slaves” contributed nothing to the Cherokee economy. During the colonial period, however, Cherokees actively began to capture members of other tribes and were themselves captured and sold to whites as chattels for the Caribbean slave trade. Also during this period, African slaves were introduced among the Indians, and when intertribal warfare ended, the use of forced labor to increase agricultural and other production emerged within Cherokee society.
Well aware that the institution of black slavery was only one of many important changes that gradually broke down the traditional Cherokee culture after 1540, Professor Perdue integrates her concern with slavery into the total picture of cultural transformation resulting from the clash between European and Amerindian societies. She has made good use of previous anthropological and sociological studies, and presents an excellent summary of the relevant historical materials, ever attempting to see cultural crises from the perspective of the Cherokees. The first over-all account of the effect of slavery upon the Cherokees, Perdue’s acute analysis and readable narrative provide the reader with a new angle of vision on the changing nature of Cherokee culture under the impact of increasing contact with Europeans.
207 pages, Paperback
Published July 6, 1987
1 person is currently reading
139 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 8, 2019
A very educational look at how Cherokee society evolved and adapted slavery to fit their values.
October 7, 2019
Dated. Quotes from slaves written in dialect.
December 16, 2023
Slavery and Evolution was referenced in many of the books which I have read on Native American history and culture in recent years. As public libraries are closed right now during the COVID pandemic and it was available via Internet Archive I realized it was the right time for me to read it.
IMHO, it is an admirable piece of scholarship. At barely more than 140 pages of text Perdue provided a thorough review of dozens of primary sources like manuscripts, memoirs, correspondence, US government reports, newspaper accounts, and interviews done in the 1930’s of the descendants of African American slaves and Cherokee citizens. A wide array of secondary sources like books and journal articles were also included.
The author presented her argument in a clear and coherent manner: trade with the European colonizers, interactions with the Christian missionaries, and the Cherokee adaptation to and gradual acceptance of ‘civilization’ (American sociopolitical culture) in the late 18th and early 19th centuries led to the modification of and eventual disruption of their society and their indigenous system of slavery. Rivalries between pro slavery and anti slavery factions in the tribe leading up to and during the Civil War exacerbated its problems.
The book was quite readable for a few reasons. The chapters were well organized into subtopics, the prose was direct and succinct for the most part, and the author’s timely use of quotations from the primary sources made it engaging. She also provided a few maps which made it easy to visualize the places which were being discussed in the text.
Given these strengths it is obvious why Slavery and Evolution became a foundational text which many subsequent historians have relied on. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants to develop a solid base of knowledge about this topic. Then those with a greater interest can read two other books by Tiya Miles which delve into the topic in greater depth: Ties that Bind and The House on Diamond Hill.
Having found that both Slavery and Evolution and her book on Cherokee Women were excellent I will look to read more of Purdue’s work in the future. One cannot recommend an author any more highly than that.
IMHO, it is an admirable piece of scholarship. At barely more than 140 pages of text Perdue provided a thorough review of dozens of primary sources like manuscripts, memoirs, correspondence, US government reports, newspaper accounts, and interviews done in the 1930’s of the descendants of African American slaves and Cherokee citizens. A wide array of secondary sources like books and journal articles were also included.
The author presented her argument in a clear and coherent manner: trade with the European colonizers, interactions with the Christian missionaries, and the Cherokee adaptation to and gradual acceptance of ‘civilization’ (American sociopolitical culture) in the late 18th and early 19th centuries led to the modification of and eventual disruption of their society and their indigenous system of slavery. Rivalries between pro slavery and anti slavery factions in the tribe leading up to and during the Civil War exacerbated its problems.
The book was quite readable for a few reasons. The chapters were well organized into subtopics, the prose was direct and succinct for the most part, and the author’s timely use of quotations from the primary sources made it engaging. She also provided a few maps which made it easy to visualize the places which were being discussed in the text.
Given these strengths it is obvious why Slavery and Evolution became a foundational text which many subsequent historians have relied on. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants to develop a solid base of knowledge about this topic. Then those with a greater interest can read two other books by Tiya Miles which delve into the topic in greater depth: Ties that Bind and The House on Diamond Hill.
Having found that both Slavery and Evolution and her book on Cherokee Women were excellent I will look to read more of Purdue’s work in the future. One cannot recommend an author any more highly than that.
July 25, 2024
I highly recommend this book for understanding how the adoption of chattel slavery brought massive economic and cultural division to the Cherokee people that did not exist before colonization.
These divisions have driven Cherokee’s entire post-Contact history and is still occurring today, in my opinion.
It also makes clear the huge role that enslaved Black Cherokee and their forced labor played in growing Cherokee economic and power status as a Nation.
Well worth the read.
The book briefly discusses allotment but the bulk of the book ends at the close of the Civil War.
These divisions have driven Cherokee’s entire post-Contact history and is still occurring today, in my opinion.
It also makes clear the huge role that enslaved Black Cherokee and their forced labor played in growing Cherokee economic and power status as a Nation.
Well worth the read.
The book briefly discusses allotment but the bulk of the book ends at the close of the Civil War.
Read
October 2, 2015Classic synthesis of slavery among the Cherokee from the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews