If We Must Die: Shipboard Insurrections in the Era of the Atlantic Slave Trade

Antislavery, Abolition, and the Atlantic World

by Eric Robert Taylor

If We Must Die examines nearly five hundred shipboard rebellions that occurred over the course of the entire slave trade, directly challenging the prevailing thesis that such resistance was infrequent or insignificant. As Eric Robert Taylor shows, though most revolts were crushed quickly, others raged on for hours, days, or weeks and, occasionally, the Africans captured the vessel and returned themselves to freedom. In recounting these rebellions, Taylor suggests that certain factors, like geographic location, the involvement of women and children, and the timing of a shipboard revolt, determined the difference between success and failure. The author also explores issues like aid from other ships, punishment of slave rebels, and treatment of sailors captured by the Africans. If We Must Die expands the historical view of slave resistance, revealing a continuum of rebellions that spanned the Atlantic as well as the centuries. These uprisings, Taylor argues, ultimately helped limit and end the traffic in enslaved Africans and also served as crucial predecessors to the many revolts that occurred subsequently on plantations throughout the Americas.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

266 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Courtney Homer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Put in historiographical context, this book is remarkable. Up through the 1970's, it was commonly accepted in historiography that slaves were somewhat complacent and docile. Taylor's work challenges that notion and proves that Africans were fighting against slavery and for freedom from the time of capture - before they were even on the slave ships - and that legacy continued through the Middle Passage and into slavery in the Americas. The book is sometimes clunky, but some passages are particularly poignant. Due to gaps in data, Taylor is forced to speculate fairly frequently. However, he indisputably demonstrates that slave insurrections were common, impacted the trade, and, contrary to ignorant notions at the time, that slaves were never meant to be slaves. There is clearly more work to be done on the subject, but this is a strong start.

[Ronald Jones]

If We Must Die is a masterpiece. The author covers an area of African resistence to European enslavement that has not recieved nearly as much attention as it deserves: African slave ship revolts. If We Must Die clearly reveals the depth of the fear and danger experienced by slave ship crews as they ferried captive Africans across the middle passage. Also highlighted is the frequency of the revolts by captive Africans, demonstrating their desire to be free at any cost.

[Camden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info, have to work to uncover it and make it useable sometimes though, needlessly divides stuff (e.g. trying to define "successful" revolts)

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The academic-ness of this book really got in the way of the good stuff. He had to spend so much time defending why we should be looking at these slave rebellions or what role/effect they had at the time, when what was really interesting and the only thing I really wanted from this were the stories.

Still, cool stories.

[Jason Scoggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent outline of the many tribulations overcome by those ensnared in the transatlantic slave trade. but through all in all, the common theme is reoccurrent. resistance coincides with the changing of conditions throughout history. at no point in time that Africans lay down during slavery, resistance was formulated in one way shape or form at every waking moment

[cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

the relaying of hidden archival history W, the writing L

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this to all of white America.