by Ira Berlin
First published 2009
Ira Berlin examines two centuries of African American experience before cotton dominated the South. He argues that slavery took diverse forms across different regions and time periods. The book follows enslaved people who worked tobacco and rice plantations, served as skilled craftsmen in coastal cities, and fought as soldiers on frontiers. Berlin shows how the first generations of creole slaves labored alongside owners, free blacks, and indentured whites. These early communities gave way to plantation societies where enslaved people provided the primary labor force. The author traces this transformation from the Chesapeake to Carolina's lowcountry to the Mississippi Valley. He demonstrates how relationships between enslaved and free people shifted as economic and social conditions changed. Berlin places African Americans within the broader story of American workers and the developing nation. The book reveals how slavery and racial meanings evolved as the country moved toward independence while confronting Enlightenment principles.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, african-american, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction, american-history
Vibes: academic, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: Chesapeake, Carolina, Mississippi Valley
Period: Two Centuries
510 pages · Kindle Edition · Belknap Press
Content warnings: slavery