A House Divided: Slavery and Emancipation in Delaware, 1638–1865

by Patience Essah

Delaware stood outside the primary streams of New World emancipation. Despite slavery's virtual demise in that state during the antebellum years and Delaware's staunch Unionism during the Civil War itself, the state failed to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, which prohibits slavery, until 1901. Patience Essah here examines the introduction, evolution, demise, and final abolition of slavery in Delaware. In deomnstrating the persistence of slavery in Delaware, she raises important questions about postslavery race relations.

236 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1996

Reviews

[Evan Þ. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Delaware had a very unusual history with slavery. On the one hand, a lack of land and profits in grain caused slavery to become economically marginal, which led to restrictive laws (such as not being able to transport slaves into or out of the state) which made it even more marginal. On the other hand, the remaining slaveowners and their allies refused to actually abolish it. Abolition bills were regularly proposed up to the Civil War (unlike in the rest of the South where they were unthinkable after c. 1830), but they failed every time.

Essah's book tells this story by looking at element after element of what happened and what it looked like for the people living in Delaware. Unfortunately, she writes it in a very dry style. Among other dryness, it's from a very eagle's-eye perspective that never really gets down to ground level to let you see any of the persons involved; and, it's told nonchronologically so that it's hard to put together the story. Even knowing the overall story of slavery in the United States, Delaware is so different from anywhere else that a different arrangement could've made it much easier to get into this book.

That said, the story is good and interesting even though this telling isn't.

[Frieda Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you rate a book that was disturbing, well written, and taught you things you were not aware of. Delaware has always had a split personality. But to learn that even though the northern county of New Castle pushed for abolition, it did not mean that black people were to receive any rights within its boundaries. Blacks were considered inherently inferior. No schools were provided. Churches serving former slaves had to be led my white pastors. Many people went from the involuntary condition of slavery to years of indentured servitude.

[Jrs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incomplete, languorous, and unduly repetitive, there are too many "what if's" for this to be a comprehensive history of slavery in Delaware.