Introduction 1. The Origins and Nature of New World Slavery 2. 1819: Signs of a New Era 3. African-American Abolitionism and Southern Fears Notes Index
No scholar has played a larger role in expanding contemporary understanding of how slavery shaped the history of the United States, the Americas, and the world than David Brion Davis. In Challenging the Boundaries of Slavery, Davis does it again, demonstrating--with extraordinary insight--the centrality of slavery to the American past. -- Ira Berlin, author of Generations of Captivity Challenging the Boundaries of Slavery confirms David Brion Davis's status as one the most original, erudite, and influential scholars of our era. In many respects, this is his most creative work in a corpus of pathbreaking books. Sparse and elegant, it challenges boundaries of time, space, and social relations, weaves together micro and macro histories, and offers a powerful new style of historical narration. It is a breathtaking read and a brilliant accomplishment. -- John Stauffer, author of The Black Hearts of Men In strokes both broad and fine-grained Davis deftly surveys the many complex issues relating to the origins and abolition of the Atlantic slave system and its role in the formation of America. A gracefully crafted gem of historical synthesis and profound interpretive insights from the nation's preeminent student of comparative slavery. -- Orlando Patterson, Harvard University
David Brion Davis is Sterling Professor of History Emeritus and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University.
No scholar has played a larger role in expanding contemporary
understanding of how slavery shaped the history of the United
States, the Americas, and the world than David Brion Davis. In
Challenging the Boundaries of Slavery, Davis does it again,
demonstrating-with extraordinary insight-the centrality of slavery
to the American past. -- Ira Berlin, author of Generations of
Captivity
Challenging the Boundaries of Slavery confirms David Brion
Davis's status as one the most original, erudite, and influential
scholars of our era. In many respects, this is his most creative
work in a corpus of pathbreaking books. Sparse and elegant, it
challenges boundaries of time, space, and social relations, weaves
together micro and macro histories, and offers a powerful new style
of historical narration. It is a breathtaking read and a brilliant
accomplishment. -- John Stauffer, author of The Black Hearts of
Men
In strokes both broad and fine-grained Davis deftly surveys the
many complex issues relating to the origins and abolition of the
Atlantic slave system and its role in the formation of America. A
gracefully crafted gem of historical synthesis and profound
interpretive insights from the nation's preeminent student of
comparative slavery. -- Orlando Patterson, Harvard University
The issue of slavery in American history has never been as
clear-cut as some would prefer, and no one has done more to explain
its ironies, contradictions and complexities than David Brion
Davis. In this slender, beautifully written book, he explores the
origin and eradication of the peculiar institution based on
boundaries imposed by men and events, in the process giving us yet
another classic. * Dallas Morning News *
In Challenging the Boundaries of Slavery [Davis provides]
brief but incisive reflections on slavery in American and world
history. -- George M. Fredrickson * New York Review of Books *
A brief, but illuminating, account of the ways in which slavery
crossed a kind of psychological barrier to place black slaves
outside the dreams of liberty and equality. * History Today *
Challenging the Boundaries of Slavery is an insightful and
engaging piece of work. It intertwines macro and micro histories
concerning the origins and abolition of the Atlantic slave system
and presents a sophisticated and complex historical synthesis that
broadens the current debate and suggests new ways of thinking about
the factors shaping the course of slavery in American
history...This book emphasizes the fact that questions regarding
slavery were intimately connected to wider debates and discourses
in antebellum America concerning issues such as national character,
economics and expansion. In incredibly lucid and articulate terms
Davis weaves these strands together and impresses upon us the
significance of slavery to the American past. -- Rebecca J. Griffin
* Journal of American Studies *
The three chapters of this short book offer smart apercus,
insightful nuggets from the master historian of comparative
slavery...Davis proves here that his mind is as subtle and vigorous
as ever. This reader eagerly awaits more works from the greatest
living historian of comparative slavery. -- Philip D. Morgan *
American Historical Review *
Perhaps the world's foremost authority on slavery...has made yet
another contribution to our understanding of an ancient institution
that was once ubiquitous but is now considered peculiar. With his
usual clarity and concision, Davis summarizes the history of
slavery from its prehistoric origins to its abolition in the United
States in 1865...Davis's small volume is filled with fascinating
facts...[This] masterful work... is an ideal introduction to the
history of slavery for general readers and is illuminating even for
scholars. The writing is clear, concise, informative and
insightful. -- Carl J. Richard * International Journal of the
Classic Tradition *
Few scholars equal Davis's breadth and depth of knowledge mastered
during his long career. Indeed, few would fault Davis if he merely
took the opportunity to retrace old ground in his lectures, but it
is a hallmark of this distinguished historian that he continues to
recast his material, engage new sources, and think out loud in
productive fashion about the meaning of slavery in the western
world...By marking his retelling of the abolition of slavery with
new signposts, by casting new actors in leading roles, and by
proposing the existence of a much more elaborate historical
context, Davis once again prompts his readers to think anew about
not only the history of slavery but also the history of the United
States. -- Michael J. Guasco * Journal of Southern History *
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