Many Thousands Gone : The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America

Today most Americans, black and white, identify slavery with cotton, the deep South, and the African-American church. But at the beginning of the nineteenth century, after almost two hundred years of African-American life in mainland North America, few slaves grew cotton, lived in the deep South, or embraced Christianity. Many Thousands Gone traces the evolution of black society from the first arrivals in the early seventeenth century through the Revolution. In telling their story, Ira Berlin, a leading historian of southern and African-American life, reintegrates slaves into the history of the American working class and into the tapestry of our nation. Laboring as field hands on tobacco and rice plantations, as skilled artisans in port cities, or soldiers along the frontier, generation after generation of African Americans struggled to create a world of their own in circumstances not of their own making. In a panoramic view that stretches from the North to the Chesapeake Bay and Carolina lowcountry to the Mississippi Valley, Many Thousands Gone reveals the diverse forms that slavery and freedom assumed before cotton was king. We witness the transformation that occurred as the first generations of creole slaves--who worked alongside their owners, free blacks, and indentured whites--gave way to the plantation generations, whose back-breaking labor was the sole engine of their society and whose physical and linguistic isolation sustained African traditions on American soil. As the nature of the slaves' labor changed with place and time, so did the relationship between slave and master, and between slave and society. In this fresh and vivid interpretation, Berlin demonstrates that the meaning of slavery and of race itself was continually renegotiated and redefined, as the nation lurched toward political and economic independence and grappled with the Enlightenment ideals that had inspired its birth. (19991001)

Today most Americans, black and white, identify slavery with cotton, the deep South, and the African-American church. But at the beginning of the nineteenth century, after almost two hundred years of African-American life in mainland North America, few slaves grew cotton, lived in the deep South, or embraced Christianity. Many Thousands Gone traces the evolution of black society from the first arrivals in the early seventeenth century through the Revolution. In telling their story, Ira Berlin, a leading historian of southern and African-American life, reintegrates slaves into the history of the American working class and into the tapestry of our nation.

Laboring as field hands on tobacco and rice plantations, as skilled artisans in port cities, or soldiers along the frontier, generation after generation of African Americans struggled to create a world of their own in circumstances not of their own making. In a panoramic view that stretches from the North to the Chesapeake Bay and Carolina lowcountry to the Mississippi Valley, Many Thousands Gone reveals the diverse forms that slavery and freedom assumed before cotton was king. We witness the transformation that occurred as the first generations of creole slaves—who worked alongside their owners, free blacks, and indentured whites—gave way to the plantation generations, whose back-breaking labor was the sole engine of their society and whose physical and linguistic isolation sustained African traditions on American soil.

As the nature of the slaves' labor changed with place and time, so did the relationship between slave and master, and between slave and society. In this fresh and vivid interpretation, Berlin demonstrates that the meaning of slavery and of race itself was continually renegotiated and redefined, as the nation lurched toward political and economic independence and grappled with the Enlightenment ideals that had inspired its birth.

Renee Graham

Ira Berlin, one of this nation's foremost scholars on the slave era. . .presents a thorough and extensive examination of early slavery. —Boston Sunday Globe

This Volume Sketches The Complex Evolution Of Slavery And Black Society From The First Arrivals In The Early 1600s Through The American Revolution. Today Most Americans, Black And White, Identify Slavery With Cotton, The Deep South, And The African-american Church. But At The Beginning Of The Nineteenth Century, After Almost Two Hundred Years Of African-american Life In Mainland North America, Few Slaves Grew Cotton, Lived In The Deep South, Or Embraced Christianity. The Author Demonstrates That Earlier North American Slavery Had Many Different Forms And Meanings That Varied Over Time And From Place To Place. He Shows That Slavery And Race Did Not Have A Fixed Character That Endured For Centuries But Were Constantly Being Constructed Or Reconstructed In Response To Changing Historical Circumstances. This Work Illustrates That Complex Nature Of American Slavery, The Falsity Of Many Of Our Stereotypes, And The Unique World Wrought By The Slaves Themselves. Prologue: Making Slavery, Making Race -- Emergence Of Atlantic Creoles In The Chesapeake -- Expansion Of Creole Society In The North -- Divergent Paths In The Lowcountry -- Devolution In The Lower Mississippi Valley -- The Tobacco Revolution In The Chesapeake -- Rice Revolution In The Lowcountry -- Growth And The Transformation Of Black Life In The North --stagnation And Transformation In The Lower Mississippi Valley -- Slow Death Of Slavery In The North -- The Union Of African-american Society In The Upper South -- Fragmentation In The Lower South -- Slavery And Freedom In The Lower Mississippi Valley -- Epilogue: Making Race, Making Slavery. Ira Berlin. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 379-485) And Index. Today most Americans, black and white, identify slavery with cotton, the deep South, and the African-American church. But at the beginning of the nineteenth century, after almost two hundred years of African-American life in mainland North America, few slaves grew cotton, lived in the deep South, or embraced Christianity. Many Thousands Gone traces the evolution of black society from the first arrivals in the early seventeenth century through the Revolution. In telling their story, Ira Berlin, a leading historian of southern and African-American life, reintegrates slaves into the history of the American working class and into the tapestry of our nation. As the nature of the slaves' labor changed with place and time, so did the relationship between slave and master, and between slave and society. In this brilliant and vivid interpretation, Berlin demonstrates that the meaning of slavery and of race itself was continually renegotiated and redefined, as the nation lurched toward political and economic independence and grappled with the Enlightenment ideals that had inspired its birth. This book sketches the complex evolution of slavery and black society from the first arrivals in the early 1600s through the American Revolution. Many Americans, black and white, identify slavery with cotton, the deep South, and the African-American church. But at the beginning of the nineteenth century, after almost two hundred years of African-American life in mainland North America, few slaves grew cotton, lived in the deep South, or embraced Christianity. The author demonstrates that earlier North American slavery had many different forms and meanings that varied over time and from place to place. The author shows that slavery and race did not have a fixed character that endured for centuries but were constantly being constructed or reconstructed in response to changing historical circumstances. This work illustrates that complex nature of American slavery, the falsity of many of our stereotypes, and the unique world wrought by the slaves themselves A leading historian of southern and African-American life traces the evolution of black society in America from its creation in the early 17th century through the American Revolution. Berlin reveals the diverse forms that slavery and freedom assumed before cotton was king.