Slave Nation : How Slavery United the Colonies and Sparked the American Revolution

A book all Americans should read, __Slave Nation__ reveals the key role racism played in the American Revolutionary War, so we can see our past more clearly and build a better future. In 1772, the High Court in London freed a slave from Virginia named Somerset, setting a precedent that would end slavery in England. In America, racist fury over this momentous decision united the Northern and Southern colonies and convinced them to fight for independence. Meticulously researched and accessible, __Slave Nation__ provides a little-known view of the birth of our nation and its earliest steps toward self-governance. __Slave Nation__ is a fascinating account of the role slavery played in the American Revolution and in the framing of the Constitution, offering a fresh examination of the "fight for freedom" that embedded racism into our national identity, led to the Civil War, and reverberates through Black Lives Matter protests today. "A radical, well-informed, and highly original reinterpretation of the place of slavery in the American War of Independence. "—David Brion Davis, Yale University **Alfred W. Blumrosen** is the Thomas A. Cowan Professor of Law at Rutgers University in New Jersey, specializing in labor and employment law, and has a long history in enforcement of civil rights. The late **Ruth Gerber Blumrosen** was an adjunct professor of law at Rutgers Law School and also worked in civil rights compliance. Cover Title Page Contents Acknowledgment Introduction 1. Somerset’s Journey Sparks the American Revolution 2. The Tinderbox 3. Virginia Responds to the Somerset Decision 4. The Virginia Resolution Unites the Colonies and Leads to the First Continental Congress in 1774 5. John Adams Supports the South on Slavery 6. The Colonies Claim Independence from Parliament 7. The Immortal Ambiguity: “All Men Are Created Equal” 8. The Articles of Confederation Reject Somerset and Protect Slavery 9. The Lure of the West: Slavery Protected in the Territories 10. Deadlock over Slavery in the Constitutional Convention 11. A Slave-Free Northwest Territory 12. Cementing the Bargain: Ratification by Virginia and the First Congress 13. How Then Should We View the Founding Fathers? In Memoriam: Requiem for Ruth Blumrosen Bibliography of Works Cited Notes Index Chapter 1. Leading Figures in the Somerset Case Chapter 8. Writing the Articles of Confederation, 1776–77 A radical, well-informed, and highly original reinterpretation of the place of slavery in the American War of Independence.-David Brion Davis, Yale University

In 1772, the High Court in London brought about the conditions that would end slavery in England by freeing a black slave from Virginia named Somerset. This decision began a key facet of independence.

Slave Nation is a fascinating account of the role slavery played in the drawing of the United States Constitution and in shaping the United States. At the Constitutional Convention, the South feared that the Northern states would leave the Convention over the issue of slavery. In a compromise, the Southern states agreed to slavery's prohibition north of the Ohio River, resulting in the Northwest Ordinance. This early national division would continue to escalate, eventually only reaching resolution through the Civil War. "A radical, well-informed, and highly original reinterpretation of the place of slavery in the American War of Independence."-David Brion Davis, Yale University In 1772, the High Court in London brought about the conditions that would end slavery in England by freeing a black slave from Virginia named Somerset. This decision began a key facet of independence. Slave Nation is a fascinating account of the role slavery played in the drawing of the United States Constitution and in shaping the United States. At the Constitutional Convention, the South feared that the Northern states would leave the Convention over the issue of slavery. In a compromise, the Southern states agreed to slavery's prohibition north of the Ohio River, resulting in the Northwest Ordinance. This early national division would continue to escalate, eventually only reaching resolution through the Civil War. A chilling history of the profound role that slavery played in the founding of the republic