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Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves
Ira Berlin traces the history of African-American slavery in the United States from its beginnings in the seventeenth century to its fiery demise nearly three hundred years later.
Most Americans, black and white, have a singular vision of slavery, one fixed in the mid-nineteenth century when most American slaves grew cotton, resided in the deep South, and subscribed to Christianity. Here, however, Berlin offers a dynamic vision, a major reinterpretation in which slaves and their owners continually renegotiated the terms of captivity. Slavery was thus made and remade by successive generations of Africans and African Americans who lived through settlement and adaptation, plantation life, economic transformations, revolution, forced migration, war, and ultimately, emancipation.
Berlin's understanding of the processes that continually transformed the lives of slaves makes Generations of Captivity essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of antebellum America. Connecting the "Charter Generation" to the development of Atlantic society in the seventeenth century, the "Plantation Generation" to the reconstruction of colonial society in the eighteenth century, the "Revolutionary Generation" to the Age of Revolutions, and the "Migration Generation" to American expansionism in the nineteenth century, Berlin integrates the history of slavery into the larger story of American life. He demonstrates how enslaved black people, by adapting to changing circumstances, prepared for the moment when they could seize liberty and declare themselves the "Freedom Generation."
This epic story, told by a master historian, provides a rich understanding of the experience of African-American slaves, an experience that continues to mobilize American thought and passions today.
Most Americans, black and white, have a singular vision of slavery, one fixed in the mid-nineteenth century when most American slaves grew cotton, resided in the deep South, and subscribed to Christianity. Here, however, Berlin offers a dynamic vision, a major reinterpretation in which slaves and their owners continually renegotiated the terms of captivity. Slavery was thus made and remade by successive generations of Africans and African Americans who lived through settlement and adaptation, plantation life, economic transformations, revolution, forced migration, war, and ultimately, emancipation.
Berlin's understanding of the processes that continually transformed the lives of slaves makes Generations of Captivity essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of antebellum America. Connecting the "Charter Generation" to the development of Atlantic society in the seventeenth century, the "Plantation Generation" to the reconstruction of colonial society in the eighteenth century, the "Revolutionary Generation" to the Age of Revolutions, and the "Migration Generation" to American expansionism in the nineteenth century, Berlin integrates the history of slavery into the larger story of American life. He demonstrates how enslaved black people, by adapting to changing circumstances, prepared for the moment when they could seize liberty and declare themselves the "Freedom Generation."
This epic story, told by a master historian, provides a rich understanding of the experience of African-American slaves, an experience that continues to mobilize American thought and passions today.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
43 people are currently reading
695 people want to read
About the author
Ira Berlin
32 books52 followersA historian of American slavery, Ira Berlin earned his BA in chemistry, and an MA and Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle and Federal City College in Washington, DC before moving to the University of Maryland in 1974, where he was Distinguished University Professor of History. A former president of the Organization of American Historians, Berlin was the founding editor of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project, which he directed until 1991.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 7, 2023
Człowiek człowiekowi człowiekiem *
Niewolnictwo jest stare jak ludzkość. Proceder szczególnie kwitł w starożytności. Potem oficjalnie w Europie przycichł (czymże był jednak ustrój feudalny jak nie quasi niewolnictwem skoro chłop pańszczyźniany był przypisany do ziemi). W krajach arabskich niewolnictwo miało się świetnie do drugiej połowy XX w. (Arabia Saudyjska zniosła je w 1963 r.). Stany Zjednoczone - nowa kolebka cywilizacji miała zerwać z podłościami Starego Świata i zbudować Nowy wolny od nieprawości. Jednak grzech pierworodny ludzkości i tam szybko zapuścił korzenie. Nim się obejrzano powstał system społeczny opierający się na wyzysku jednej z grup by drugiej żyło się jak najlepiej.
"Pokolenia w niewoli" poświęcone są temu wycinkowi historii niewolnictwa. Ira Berlin stworzył całościową syntezę amerykańskich dziejów niewoli. Zaczął u zarania XVI w., a skończył wraz z Proklamacją Emancypacji w 1862 r. Pomimo ogromu materii "Pokolenia w niewoli" nie są drobiazgowym kompendium. Autor skupił się na przemianach niewolnictwa, na tym jak ewoluowało, jak zmieniał sie los niewolników w czasie i przestrzeni. W tym celu nakreślił pewne ramy, dzieląc historię niewolnictwa w USA na pokolenia, z których każde miało inne specyfikę. Obraz znany z filmów to tylko cząstka obrazu niewolnictwa. Przez 300 lat swojej historii niewolnictwo dostosowywało się do zmieniających się warunków. Zaczynało subtelnie by z kolejnymi latami za sprawą bezgranicznej chciwości przyjmować gargantuiczne i niemożliwie obrzydliwe formy. Plantatorzy chcąc zalegitymizować stan faktyczny, dopisywali ideologię rasistowską głównie paternalistyczną i proceder nabierał rozmachu. To co pouczające - społeczeństwo nie od razu stawało się niewolnicze tj. nie opierało się wyłącznie na pracy niewolników, których władcą życia i śmierci był pan. Wszystko zachodziło powoli. Przejście od społeczeństwa z udziałem niewolników do niewolniczego to proces. Na początku niewolnik miał pozycję właściwie chłopa pańszczyźnianego. Dopiero z czasem niewolnictwo przybrało formę znaną choćby z "Przeminęło z wiatrem". Dlatego należy czujnie obserwować dzisiejszy świat, bo i dziś zdarza się, że polski "pracodawca" porzuci ukraińskiego "pracownika" w lesie jak zdechłą krowę.
"Pokolenia w niewoli" mimo całej naukowości czyta się świetnie. Książka jest napisana w sposób bardzo przystępny i uporządkowany. Co istotne nie ma tu miejsca na gdybanie. Ira Berlin bardzo rzetelnie udokumentował swoją prace. Aż 35 procent książki to przypisy - artykuły i prace naukowe, wspomnienia, roczniki, statystyki, dokumenty, ustawy. Pomimo zdawałoby się chłodnej formy, książka przemawia silnie do czytelnika. Autor nie stroni od sięgania do wspomnień niewolników. I te fragmenty mnie najbardziej poruszyły. Wyłania się z nich obraz nie tyle przemocy fizycznej co gwałtu na instytucji rodziny. Niewolnicy szczególnie w czasach tzw. Drugiej Przeprawy Środkowej byli przerzucani jak bele bawełny z miejsca A do B z całkowitym pominięciem ich uczuć rodzinnych. 1 na 3 rodziny były rozbijane. 1 na 5 dzieci było sierotami. 4 na 100 mężczyzn w hrabstwie Greene w Alabamie dożywało 45 roku życia w 1820 r.
Absolutny must read. Każdy niby wie czym było niewolnictwo, ale gwarantuję, że po przeczytaniu tej książki powie, wiem, że nic nie wiedziałem. Historię niewolnictwa w USA wypada znać. Po pierwsze z samego szacunku do ofiar. Po drugie aby macki dzikiego kapitalizmu nie wprowadziły go ponownie w Bangladeszu czy innym kraju trzeciego świata.
* przecież nie wilkiem, on okrutny nie jest
PS w Polsce "Pokolenia w Niewoli" wydał PIW
Niewolnictwo jest stare jak ludzkość. Proceder szczególnie kwitł w starożytności. Potem oficjalnie w Europie przycichł (czymże był jednak ustrój feudalny jak nie quasi niewolnictwem skoro chłop pańszczyźniany był przypisany do ziemi). W krajach arabskich niewolnictwo miało się świetnie do drugiej połowy XX w. (Arabia Saudyjska zniosła je w 1963 r.). Stany Zjednoczone - nowa kolebka cywilizacji miała zerwać z podłościami Starego Świata i zbudować Nowy wolny od nieprawości. Jednak grzech pierworodny ludzkości i tam szybko zapuścił korzenie. Nim się obejrzano powstał system społeczny opierający się na wyzysku jednej z grup by drugiej żyło się jak najlepiej.
"Pokolenia w niewoli" poświęcone są temu wycinkowi historii niewolnictwa. Ira Berlin stworzył całościową syntezę amerykańskich dziejów niewoli. Zaczął u zarania XVI w., a skończył wraz z Proklamacją Emancypacji w 1862 r. Pomimo ogromu materii "Pokolenia w niewoli" nie są drobiazgowym kompendium. Autor skupił się na przemianach niewolnictwa, na tym jak ewoluowało, jak zmieniał sie los niewolników w czasie i przestrzeni. W tym celu nakreślił pewne ramy, dzieląc historię niewolnictwa w USA na pokolenia, z których każde miało inne specyfikę. Obraz znany z filmów to tylko cząstka obrazu niewolnictwa. Przez 300 lat swojej historii niewolnictwo dostosowywało się do zmieniających się warunków. Zaczynało subtelnie by z kolejnymi latami za sprawą bezgranicznej chciwości przyjmować gargantuiczne i niemożliwie obrzydliwe formy. Plantatorzy chcąc zalegitymizować stan faktyczny, dopisywali ideologię rasistowską głównie paternalistyczną i proceder nabierał rozmachu. To co pouczające - społeczeństwo nie od razu stawało się niewolnicze tj. nie opierało się wyłącznie na pracy niewolników, których władcą życia i śmierci był pan. Wszystko zachodziło powoli. Przejście od społeczeństwa z udziałem niewolników do niewolniczego to proces. Na początku niewolnik miał pozycję właściwie chłopa pańszczyźnianego. Dopiero z czasem niewolnictwo przybrało formę znaną choćby z "Przeminęło z wiatrem". Dlatego należy czujnie obserwować dzisiejszy świat, bo i dziś zdarza się, że polski "pracodawca" porzuci ukraińskiego "pracownika" w lesie jak zdechłą krowę.
"Pokolenia w niewoli" mimo całej naukowości czyta się świetnie. Książka jest napisana w sposób bardzo przystępny i uporządkowany. Co istotne nie ma tu miejsca na gdybanie. Ira Berlin bardzo rzetelnie udokumentował swoją prace. Aż 35 procent książki to przypisy - artykuły i prace naukowe, wspomnienia, roczniki, statystyki, dokumenty, ustawy. Pomimo zdawałoby się chłodnej formy, książka przemawia silnie do czytelnika. Autor nie stroni od sięgania do wspomnień niewolników. I te fragmenty mnie najbardziej poruszyły. Wyłania się z nich obraz nie tyle przemocy fizycznej co gwałtu na instytucji rodziny. Niewolnicy szczególnie w czasach tzw. Drugiej Przeprawy Środkowej byli przerzucani jak bele bawełny z miejsca A do B z całkowitym pominięciem ich uczuć rodzinnych. 1 na 3 rodziny były rozbijane. 1 na 5 dzieci było sierotami. 4 na 100 mężczyzn w hrabstwie Greene w Alabamie dożywało 45 roku życia w 1820 r.
Absolutny must read. Każdy niby wie czym było niewolnictwo, ale gwarantuję, że po przeczytaniu tej książki powie, wiem, że nic nie wiedziałem. Historię niewolnictwa w USA wypada znać. Po pierwsze z samego szacunku do ofiar. Po drugie aby macki dzikiego kapitalizmu nie wprowadziły go ponownie w Bangladeszu czy innym kraju trzeciego świata.
* przecież nie wilkiem, on okrutny nie jest
PS w Polsce "Pokolenia w Niewoli" wydał PIW
January 13, 2010
Ira Berlin seeks to problematize our understanding of slavery in this book by breaking it down into five "generations." His intent is to convince us that slavery is not simply a single, monolithically "negative" experience, but rather quite different according to time and context. His generations consist of the "Charter Generation," the "Plantation Generation, and the "Revolutionary," "Migration," and "Freedom" generations.
The most familiar to us today is what Berlin designated the "Migration Generation" - the generation of pre-bellum slavery based upon the cotton trade and the most repressive forms of slavery. This however is contrasted most forcefully with the charter generation: "cosmopolitan men and women of African descent who arrived in mainland North America almost simultaneously with the first European adventurers" (6). These people had valuable skills to trade and a sense of self-worth that they retained through negotiation with their ostensible owners.
Throughout the book, and in examining each generation, Berlin looks for ways slaves found to express themselves and gain agency, even when they were stripped of all legal protections and rights. His narrative continues through the early establishment of colonial plantations, a system wherein cheap unskilled labor was the order of the day, but nevertheless black slaves retained some dignity while working together with white indentured servants and manumission remained high in many areas. The revolutionary war promised and granted freedom to slaves fighting on both sides, although neither side lived up to its promise to abolish it entirely. The westward expansion of the plantation system in the early 19th Century brought the increasing dehumanization of the chattel-slave-system most are familiar with today, but simultaneously the migration of free blacks Northward "set the stage for the Great Jubilee and the freedom generations" (7).
Berlin's narrative is woven as a tapestry containing many intimate stories of individuals and fact often overlooked by popular historians. The book is an entertaining read, in spite of its sometimes depressing subject-matter, and is easily accessible to any educated reader. It would make an excellent addition to any undergraduate course on American history and is well worth the time for American citizens seeking to understand the darker side of our nation's past.
The most familiar to us today is what Berlin designated the "Migration Generation" - the generation of pre-bellum slavery based upon the cotton trade and the most repressive forms of slavery. This however is contrasted most forcefully with the charter generation: "cosmopolitan men and women of African descent who arrived in mainland North America almost simultaneously with the first European adventurers" (6). These people had valuable skills to trade and a sense of self-worth that they retained through negotiation with their ostensible owners.
Throughout the book, and in examining each generation, Berlin looks for ways slaves found to express themselves and gain agency, even when they were stripped of all legal protections and rights. His narrative continues through the early establishment of colonial plantations, a system wherein cheap unskilled labor was the order of the day, but nevertheless black slaves retained some dignity while working together with white indentured servants and manumission remained high in many areas. The revolutionary war promised and granted freedom to slaves fighting on both sides, although neither side lived up to its promise to abolish it entirely. The westward expansion of the plantation system in the early 19th Century brought the increasing dehumanization of the chattel-slave-system most are familiar with today, but simultaneously the migration of free blacks Northward "set the stage for the Great Jubilee and the freedom generations" (7).
Berlin's narrative is woven as a tapestry containing many intimate stories of individuals and fact often overlooked by popular historians. The book is an entertaining read, in spite of its sometimes depressing subject-matter, and is easily accessible to any educated reader. It would make an excellent addition to any undergraduate course on American history and is well worth the time for American citizens seeking to understand the darker side of our nation's past.
July 3, 2025
Book 2/183 of my “wheel of torture” reading challenge where I read all the books on my physical TBR list. This book was pretty dry and hard to read but was interesting in that it looked at the history of slavery through various contexts. However, I feel like I didn’t learn anything particularly new - all of the history I read were things that were included in my schooling. Overall glad I read it for a grounding non-fiction, but I’m ready for some fantasy!
March 24, 2025
Interesting overview, more focused on the slave’s perpective.
December 21, 2013
I feel like this book was just...really obvious. Like, here's what happened and why! There's exploration but it's nothing new. It's like a Sparknotes history of slavery. Except long. The premise is that Americans have one view of slavery (the 19th century antebellum cotton plantation picture) so Berlin attempts to broaden our horizons in terms of what slavery was really like, which is great if you have absolutely zero knowledge or the history...but to someone who has studied even slightly, it's really nothing new.
September 29, 2020
In reading this book I was reminded of my experiences in reading about the perspectives of other people about me that I knew to be very inaccurate but which I considered to be worth having around because they expressed a perspective that was not my own. I would not want to see every book about slavery be written from the point of view of slaves, because it would be a major distortion that would only include part of the story, and the relationship between slaves and slave owners, slave traders, and non-slaveowning yeoman workers and farmers are all deeply interesting and important. That said, it is important that there be at least some histories about slavery that focus about the institution from the point of view of slaves, because one misses important insights and a huge part of slavery's impact on history and culture and society when the point of view of those human beings who are (wrongly) considered to be property is ignored outright. And so this book of necessity is going to be a partial and biased account, but nonetheless one whose point of view is important to recognize even if one does not share it, if one wishes to make sense of slavery and the agency that people kept even when they were viewed as mere chattel.
This book is a sizable volume, and it is all the more hefty because it contains only a few chapters, divided by the era of slavery in the United States. The author begins with a prologue that looks at slavery and freedom and shows how ambivalent people were in relations to their status, especially at the beginning of slavery, when it was possible for free creoles to find themselves enslaved and also find themselves freed in a rather fluid fashion. This leads to a discussion of the charter generations of slavery during the 17th and up to about the middle of the 18th century when slavery had not yet hardened and it was possible for a significant amount of slaves to gain their precarious but precious freedom (1). This is followed by a discussion of plantation slavery where slavery regressed in the Mississippi Valley region but became more entrenched in the Deep South with the discovery of rice and indigo (2). After that comes a discussion of revolutionary generations, the period when slavery died out in the North during the course of the late 18th and first part of the 19th century, and where freedom increased in the Upper South, but where slavery became harsher in the Deep South and where slavery was threatened by revolutionary ideology and British interests (3). This leads to a look at the migration generation, where the Upper South and even parts of the Deep South lost a large part of their slaves, which were transported to new cotton boom areas in the Old Southwest and Texas (4). The epilogue then discusses the freedom, insecure as it was, that blacks found after the Civil War, after which there are tables, abbreviations, notes, acknowledgements, and an index.
Many generations of slaves were lost in captivity between the founding generations of slaves in the 16th and early 17th centuries, many of whom became free themselves, and the last generation of slaves that was freed at the barrel of a gun during the Civil War. Yet over and over again the author emphasizes the way that slaves negotiated their life, seeking to increase their freedom and their profits and to change their work conditions and frustrate, if possible, the plans of their masters. Many masters then, like many employers now, understood that work needed to get done and it was better for that work to get done in ways that were mutually acceptable, if of by necessity tacit in nature. The fact that slaves were able to influence the conditions of their servitude and build up an informal network of trade and information means that they forced masters, however unwillingly, to recognize them as human beings. This is not something that was easily given, and it is a great shame that today it is the humanity of the slaveowners which is most disregarded rather than the humanity of the slave.
This book is a sizable volume, and it is all the more hefty because it contains only a few chapters, divided by the era of slavery in the United States. The author begins with a prologue that looks at slavery and freedom and shows how ambivalent people were in relations to their status, especially at the beginning of slavery, when it was possible for free creoles to find themselves enslaved and also find themselves freed in a rather fluid fashion. This leads to a discussion of the charter generations of slavery during the 17th and up to about the middle of the 18th century when slavery had not yet hardened and it was possible for a significant amount of slaves to gain their precarious but precious freedom (1). This is followed by a discussion of plantation slavery where slavery regressed in the Mississippi Valley region but became more entrenched in the Deep South with the discovery of rice and indigo (2). After that comes a discussion of revolutionary generations, the period when slavery died out in the North during the course of the late 18th and first part of the 19th century, and where freedom increased in the Upper South, but where slavery became harsher in the Deep South and where slavery was threatened by revolutionary ideology and British interests (3). This leads to a look at the migration generation, where the Upper South and even parts of the Deep South lost a large part of their slaves, which were transported to new cotton boom areas in the Old Southwest and Texas (4). The epilogue then discusses the freedom, insecure as it was, that blacks found after the Civil War, after which there are tables, abbreviations, notes, acknowledgements, and an index.
Many generations of slaves were lost in captivity between the founding generations of slaves in the 16th and early 17th centuries, many of whom became free themselves, and the last generation of slaves that was freed at the barrel of a gun during the Civil War. Yet over and over again the author emphasizes the way that slaves negotiated their life, seeking to increase their freedom and their profits and to change their work conditions and frustrate, if possible, the plans of their masters. Many masters then, like many employers now, understood that work needed to get done and it was better for that work to get done in ways that were mutually acceptable, if of by necessity tacit in nature. The fact that slaves were able to influence the conditions of their servitude and build up an informal network of trade and information means that they forced masters, however unwillingly, to recognize them as human beings. This is not something that was easily given, and it is a great shame that today it is the humanity of the slaveowners which is most disregarded rather than the humanity of the slave.
November 12, 2022
Ira Berlin explores the history of slavery in the United States by placing the institution within the context of five distinct generations: The Charter generation, Plantation generation, Revolutionary generation, Migration generation, and the Freedom generation. Within each of these generations he further discusses how differences in white culture and economic demands influenced the development of slavery in different regions, and how unique cultures grew among enslaved peoples in response to their different experiences in slavery.
"Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves" helps to place the institution of slavery into a broader context of the United States rather than just focusing on only the cotton growing regions of the nation. In addition, rather than simply focusing on the horrors of slavery, (though Berlin does not shy away from the horrors) this book shows the many ways in which enslaved people strived to build and maintain their own families, communities and cultures within the oppressive system they lived. Although there are some points that Berlin could have better articulated or provided better support for, overall Generations of Captivity offers a fantastic and concise look into the complex realities of slavery as it developed from the institution's earliest days in the 17th century, to emancipation after the Civil War.
"Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves" helps to place the institution of slavery into a broader context of the United States rather than just focusing on only the cotton growing regions of the nation. In addition, rather than simply focusing on the horrors of slavery, (though Berlin does not shy away from the horrors) this book shows the many ways in which enslaved people strived to build and maintain their own families, communities and cultures within the oppressive system they lived. Although there are some points that Berlin could have better articulated or provided better support for, overall Generations of Captivity offers a fantastic and concise look into the complex realities of slavery as it developed from the institution's earliest days in the 17th century, to emancipation after the Civil War.
June 1, 2022
This book was very informative, and I enjoyed being able to make connections to classes that I have taken and other books I have read while reading. I think it had a lot of valuable information. It took me forever to read this book. Probably because it was definitely written for an academic audience but also because it just had so much information in it.
I am not really a fan of how the book was organized. Although I liked the chapters functioning as the different generations, I would have rather that each section within each chapter became a chapter and the four generations split into parts rather than chapters themselves. Also, each generation kinda became repetitive after a while because each chapter was organized the exact same way. North, Lowland, Seaboard, etc. for chapter after chapter.
I am not really a fan of how the book was organized. Although I liked the chapters functioning as the different generations, I would have rather that each section within each chapter became a chapter and the four generations split into parts rather than chapters themselves. Also, each generation kinda became repetitive after a while because each chapter was organized the exact same way. North, Lowland, Seaboard, etc. for chapter after chapter.
May 31, 2021
A robust and masterful historical work. Berlin's Generations of Captivity tells the story of several generations of American slaves. He documents the cultural, political and economic shifts in the ever dynamic institution of slavery all the way up to the demise of the institution. It is at times painful, at times disturbing and throughout, it is deeply, deeply sad.
This is a must read for anyone trying to understand American history. The institution of slavery was so essential to the history of the US that Ira Berlin's work on slavery simply cannot go unread.
This is a must read for anyone trying to understand American history. The institution of slavery was so essential to the history of the US that Ira Berlin's work on slavery simply cannot go unread.
December 30, 2019
This book was interesting but felt a little rushed. The first half or two thirds is pretty much a recapitulation of the author's Many Thousand Gone, maybe a little condensed. The latter half or so covers slavery in the 1800s, discussing the effects of the cotton revolution and of the Civil War and freedom. That part was new but felt a bit rushed.
Read
April 29, 2020read in my class on American slavery. we used the text as our factual background for moving through years of slavery, and it was perfect for that purpose. perhaps drier than a normal pleasure read (though I prefer fiction generally) but incredibly thorough and informative. perfect if you want to understand the intricacies of enslavement in the United States.
May 5, 2021
This is a follow-on to Many Thousands Gone, but it goes farther into the 19th century. His theory is that black people made and remade slavery through the various generations, preparing for liberation and freedom. It is a very powerful history.
February 13, 2024
very interesting story about the history of slavery within the United States. Told many stories that are overlooked and not taught often enough within schools, but gave great insight into the time period and its intricacies.
November 14, 2018
Basically a rehash of his first book, Many Thousands Gone, with the addition of Antebellum slavery. Focuses on the slaves over the institution of slavery.
November 19, 2022
This is the most comprehensive analysis of North American slavery I’ve ever seen. Make of that what you will.
February 7, 2024
i’m sure it’s a great book but wow this man loves to talk and i kept not processing what i was reading. only read the first 10 pages but got an 84 on the test sooo
May 24, 2024
love Berlin as a historian
December 10, 2009
Probably the best single volume survey of the history of slavery and the living conditions of enslaved Africans in the boundaries of the continental United States. Berlin is a longtime expert and researcher in the field and clearly has a strong grasp of the ever-expanding secondary literature. The book is divided into five chapters emphasizing the changing condition of slavery over time. He begins with the introduction of slavery and slaves in the early colonies and their ties to the wider Atlantic community. Chapter Two charts the changing conditions of slavery with the coming of the tobacco and rice plantations. Chapter Three covers the effects of the Revolutionary Era including the slow process of gradual emancipation in the North. Chapter five examines the rise of the "Cotton Kingdom" and with it the internal slave trade. And finally he ends with the coming of freedom in the Civil War. Berlin is excellent in focusing on the ways in which slave resistance, both active and passive, shaped the institution and eventually helped to spur on its demise.
The book has the typical problems associated with surveys, in this case exacerbated by its relative brevity (It covers a longer period in fewer pages than his prior much-acclaimed survey "Many Thousands Gone"). Many important issue are given only passing attention and it is hard to know whether a new student of slavery could take in so many concepts without a bit more illustration. One omission of note is slavery in the Caribbean. Although outside the boundaries of the United States, the Caribbean islands were an integral (in fact, leading) part of the development of the slave system in the British Empire.
I also worry that Berlin follows the current trends in the literature in spending much of his time on slavery and slaves who fell outside the traditional plantation model. It is important to recognize that slavery was not a monolithic institution, but I think new students would profit from a greater emphasis on the conditions under which most slaves lived most of the time.
I would be interested to here the impressions of students who read this book for undergrad survey courses.
The book has the typical problems associated with surveys, in this case exacerbated by its relative brevity (It covers a longer period in fewer pages than his prior much-acclaimed survey "Many Thousands Gone"). Many important issue are given only passing attention and it is hard to know whether a new student of slavery could take in so many concepts without a bit more illustration. One omission of note is slavery in the Caribbean. Although outside the boundaries of the United States, the Caribbean islands were an integral (in fact, leading) part of the development of the slave system in the British Empire.
I also worry that Berlin follows the current trends in the literature in spending much of his time on slavery and slaves who fell outside the traditional plantation model. It is important to recognize that slavery was not a monolithic institution, but I think new students would profit from a greater emphasis on the conditions under which most slaves lived most of the time.
I would be interested to here the impressions of students who read this book for undergrad survey courses.
June 14, 2010
Berlin argues against the image of slavery as a static institution by describing both its evolution over time and its variations from region to region. His thesis--that slaves were never passive victims, but always resisted to the extent that they could, makes this a particularly engrossing book. Covering such a vast territory he at times resorts to generalizations that left me wondering how he knows this or that. On the other hand he does provide numerous examples that give the text a poignancy and stimulated me to want to read more. As I read I began to answer a question that has concerned me for a long time: "How could people own slaves?" The answer is seemed was that slaves were property. It seemed clear that all the passions that surround ownership and wealth could obliterate and feelings about this possession as a person.
June 27, 2008
This is a an excellent book that examines the history of slaves' roles in the United States, and our development from a society with slaves to a slave society. He overshadows his work with discussions of race and socioeconomics in the early United States which has helped me reshape my understanding of race theory. IF you wish to gain a deeper understanding of the origin of racial divisions, this is a must read.
November 5, 2011
I didn't read the entire book, I was using it for research and read the chapters on the Charter Generation and Plantation Generation. The book is written well, I like how the author broke down the history of slavery into 5 generations. And within each chapter the author focuses on specific regions such as the Chespeake or Mississippi Valley which made it easier for me researching specific regions.
December 31, 2010
You cannot fully understand the conditions that caused the development of African slavery in America until you read this book!
Well documented and very surprising revelations about black/white relations and relationships throughout the history of the Colonies and the young United States. Incredible depth and insight from perspectives you may never have known existed.
Well documented and very surprising revelations about black/white relations and relationships throughout the history of the Colonies and the young United States. Incredible depth and insight from perspectives you may never have known existed.
August 12, 2011
Good book for illustrating the changes in American slavery, but it also tends to ramble and Berlin fails to make a strong case for slaves have any power in this relationship. I'm sure they obstructed their work but in the end the masters got rich and the slaves got the lash. Outside of this, it is a good introduction.
March 14, 2016
Excellent overview of the nature of the enslaved experience in North America for the first 300 years. Details how the experiences changed through generations depending on place, the economics and constant negotiation for power and control of the lives of the enslaved. Insights into how the enslaved battled to retaind their humanity, family units and control against the odds.
April 20, 2008
Berlin shows that slavery had a variety of forms in North America and was not a static experience for those who enforced it or those who suffered under it.
It is an illuminating and engrossing study and well worth the time.
It is an illuminating and engrossing study and well worth the time.
July 22, 2009
This book takes a deeper look at how commodity economics shaped North American slavery. It also distinguishes the differences between slave societies as well as societies with slaves.
November 19, 2009
He tends to repeat himself throughout each chapter, but I found it to be an interesting take on the development of slavery.
December 21, 2009
Absolutely the most incredible book ever on the topic.
African American before and after the Civil War.
Extremely well researched.
I learned so very much.
African American before and after the Civil War.
Extremely well researched.
I learned so very much.
February 17, 2015
Decent overview. Simplifies things, but works for undergrads I think, as long as it's in conjunction with other material.
December 31, 2010
this is just a rehash of Many Thousands Gone.
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