The River Flows On: Black Resistance, Culture, and Identity Formation in Early America

Antislavery, Abolition, and the Atlantic World

by Walter C. Rucker

The River Flows On offers an impressively broad examination of slave resistance in America, spanning the colonial and antebellum eras in both the North and South and covering all forms of recalcitrance, from major revolts and rebellions to everyday acts of disobedience. Walter C. Rucker analyzes American slave resistance with a keen understanding of its African influences, tracing the emergence of an African American identity and culture. Rucker points to the shared cultural heritage that facilitated collective action among both African- and American-born slaves, such as the ubiquitous belief in conjure and spiritual forces, the importance of martial dance and the drum, and ideas about the afterlife and transmigration.
Focusing on the role of African cultural and sociopolitical forces, Rucker gives in-depth attention to the 1712 New York City revolt, the 1739 Stono rebellion in South Carolina, the 1741 New York conspiracy, Gabriel Prosser's 1800 Richmond slave plot, and Denmark Vesey's 1822 Charleston scheme. He concludes with Nat Turner's 1831 revolt in Southampton, Virginia, which bore the marks of both conjure and Christianity, reflecting a new, African American consciousness. With rich evidence drawn from anthropology, archaeology, and religion, The River Flows On is an innovative and convincing study.

Genres: History

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Lisa K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just read the interesting chapter on Gabriel's Rebellion. Rucker draws connections between West African belief systems that know blacksmiths to be warriors and hunters closely associated with the god of iron and war. Gabriel's trade contributed to making him a likely leader.

[Sheridan C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, a must read. Offers an important look at the history of resistance during North American slavery.

[Zachary Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Walter C. Rucker, The River Flows On: Black Resistance, Culture, and Identity Formation in Early America (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2006).

Rucker argues that the roots of a common African American identity can be found in slave resistance during the colonial period. By looking at various African cultural practices, Rucker shows not only that these beliefs endured (contra Butler's "spiritual holocaust"), but also that African ways aided rather than impeded black cooperation during the challenges of slavery.

Much of the interesting material in this book comes from Michael Gomez' controversial research which claims to locate the origins of African slaves. Interesting commentary on how Europeans noticed these differences, seen in their dislike of Akans, because they were perceived as too hostile, or that Angolans were poor workers. Rucker rereads slave rebellions in NY and SC to find similarities with African practices. Since the source material is limited, and read through a European palimpsest, it's hard to determine what actually occurred, and I was ultimately very skeptical of Rucker's conclusions because he makes some pretty bold decisions regarding historical facts (like assuming that the NY conspiracy trials were an African slave rebellion) without transparently telling the reader that. The product is a bold reinterpretation of American slave history that needed to be done, as I think Rucker successfully shows that African culture/religion persisted. However, the lack of evidence and Rucker's consistent reading of events as always being motivated by African cosmology makes it hard for me to accept the accuracy of his narrative. I really enjoyed his reexamination of Gabriel Prosser's rebellion as rooted in African beliefs surrounding blacksmithing, and not necessarily about republicanism. Ultimately, this book pushes back the 1830 date Michael Gomez sets as the beginning of an African-American identity rather than just separate African ones.

[Kb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent monograph on the development of African American culture, specifically when the break happened from African to African American.