Description
Book SynopsisThe author explores the international impact and social significance of antislavery thought in a critical era of political and industrial revolution. He examines the implications and historical consequences of challenging the long-accepted institution of slavery. The study not only provides a comparative account of early antislavery movements, but also uses the controversies over slavery to analyse shifting attitudes towards labour, social order, political representation, and the authority of law and religion. The focus is on the Anglo-American experience, but Davis makes illuminating comparisons with the history of slavery in France and Latin America. The book also offers portraits of important historical figures, including Thomas Jefferson, Granville Sharp, Bryan Edward, and Moreau de Saint-Mery, and accounts of key groups, movements, and bodies of literature. Through the history of slavery, Davis explores many areas of the social and intellectual history of the revolutionary era, creating a new reading of the entire age.
Trade ReviewThe Problem of Slavery in the Age of Revolution by David Brion Davis is a work of majestic scale, written with great skill. It explores the growing consciousness, during a half century of revolutionary change, of the oldest and most extreme form of human exploitation. Concentrating on the Anglo-American experience, the historian also pursues his theme wherever it leads in western culture. His book is a distinguished example of historical scholarship and art. * From the citation for the 1975 National Book Award *
Table of ContentsPreface to the New Edition Preface Notes on Terms A Calendar of Events Associated with Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Emancipation, 1770-1823 1: What the Abolitionists Were Up Against 2: The Seats of Power, I 3: The Seats of Power, II 4: The Boundaries of Idealism 5: The Quaker Ethic and the Antislavery International 6: The Emancipation of America, I 7: The Emancipation of America, II 8: The Preservation of English Liberty, I 9: The Preservation of English Liberty, II 10: Antislavery and the Conflict of Laws 11: The Good Book Epilogue: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the Phenomenology of Mind
