American Slavery As It Is: Testimony Of A Thousand Witnesses (cambridge Library Collection - Slavery And Abolition)

With the recent success of the movie and book "Twelve Years A Slave" in mind, this title, as the name imports, gives a true picture of the state of Slavery in the United States in the first half of the 19th century. It had an important bearing on the great controversy upon this subject at the time it was published. The evidence which it contains is minutely circumstantial. A considerable portion of the book consists of the narratives of persons who have resided at the south, and witnessed the treatment of the slaves on the plantation with which they were conversant. With very few exceptions the name of the witness is given, and in the cases in which circumstances make it unsafe that he should be known, his character for integrity is vouched for by some responsible person. In some instances also, but those very few, the witness relates what was told him by persons on whose veracity he could rely. But the great mass of the evidence is original and from known and named witnesses.Please be advised that this book contains very explicit and detailed narratives that tell of torture, pain and cruelty. First published in 1839, this work was edited by the evangelist and noted abolitionist Theodore Dwight Weld (1803-95). It is an extensive collection of first-hand testimony and narratives by slaveholders describing the facts and highlighting the cruelty of the slave trade. One of the most influential books of the anti-slavery movement, it aimed to document the current condition of slaves in the United States, covering all aspects of their lives, in order to further the abolition movement. Weld presents accounts of slaves' food, clothing, living conditions, working hours, and their punishments and suffering. This is interspersed with personal narratives from contributors which corroborate each other, presented in a detached, unsensational manner. Great pains were taken in compiling this work to emphasise the trustworthy nature of Weld's contributors so that there could be no doubt of the authenticity of their claims and the need for an end to slavery An extensive collection of first-hand testimony and narratives by slaveholders describing the facts and highlighting the cruelty of the slave trade. First published in 1839 and edited by the evangelist and abolitionist Theodore Dwight Weld (1803–95), this work was one of the most influential books of the anti-slavery movement.