Noah's Curse : The Biblical Justification of American Slavery (Religion in America Series)

"A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." So reads Noah's curse on his son Ham, and all his descendants, in Genesis 9:25. Over centuries of interpretation, Ham came to be identified as the ancestor of black Africans, and Noah's curse to be seen as biblical justification for American slavery and segregation. Examining the history of the American interpretation of Noah's curse, this book begins with an overview of the prior history of the reception of this scripture and then turns to the distinctive and creative ways in which the curse was appropriated by American pro-slavery and pro-segregation interpreters. In Noah's Curse, Stephen Haynes Explores The Historical Context Of Slavery. The Author Identifies The Manner In Which The Great And Good Interpreted The Story In Genesis To Provide Free Labour And A Scriptural Justification For The Black Holocaust. 1. Setting The Stage -- Part I: Characters In The Postdiluvian Drama -- 2. A Black Sheep In The (second) First Family: The Legend Of Noah And His Sons -- 3. Unauthorized Biography: The Legend Of Nimrod And His Tower -- Part Ii: Honor And Order -- 4. Original Dishonor: Noah's Curse And The Southern Defense Of Slavery -- 5. Original Disorder: Noah's Curse And The Southern Defense Of Slavery -- 6. Grandson Of Disorder: Nimrod Comes To America -- Part Iii: Noah's Camera -- 7. Noah's Sons In New Orleans: Genesis 9-11 And Benjamin Morgan Palmer -- 8. Honor, Order, And Mastery In Palmer's Biblical Imagination -- 9. Beyond Slavery, Beyond Race: Noah's Camera In The Twentieth Century -- Part Iv: Redeeming The Curse -- 10. Challenging The Curse: Readings And Counterreadings -- 11. Redeeming The Curse: Ham As Victim -- 12. Conclusion: Racism, Religion, And Responsible Scholarship. Stephen R. Haynes. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 299-313) And Index. Title Page......Page 1 Preface......Page 5 Acknowledgments......Page 11 Contents......Page 13 1: Setting the Stage......Page 17 Part I: Characters in the Postdiluvian Drama......Page 35 2: A Black Sheep in the (Second) First Family: the Legend of Noah and His Sons......Page 37 3: Unauthorized Biography: The Legend of Nimrod and His Tower......Page 55 Part II: Honor and Order......Page 77 4: Original Dishonor: Noah's Curse and the Southern Defense of Slavery......Page 79 5: Original Disorder: Noah's Curse and the Southern Defense of Slavery......Page 101 6: Grandson of Disorder: Nimrod Comes to America......Page 119 Part III: Noah's Camera......Page 137 7: Noah’s Sons in New Orleans: Genesis 9-11 and Benjamin Morgan Palmer......Page 139 8: Honor, Order, and Mastery in Palmer’s Biblical Imagination......Page 160 9: Beyond Slavery, Beyond Race: Noah's Camera in the Twentieth Century......Page 175 Part IV: Redeeming the Curse......Page 189 10: Challenging the Curse: Readings and Counterreadings......Page 191 11: Redeeming the Curse: Ham as Victim......Page 215 12: Conclusion......Page 234 Notes......Page 237 Bibliography......Page 313 Index......Page 328 IN MAY 1999, the National Broadcasting Corporation telecast its widely anticipated TV version of Noah's Ark.