The empire of necessity : slavery, freedom, and deception in the New World

From the acclaimed author of __Fordlandia__, the story of a remarkable slave rebellion that illuminates America’s struggle with slavery and freedom during the Age of Revolution and beyond One morning in 1805, off a remote island in the South Pacific, Captain Amasa Delano, a New England seal hunter, climbed aboard a distressed Spanish ship carrying scores of West Africans he thought were slaves. They weren’t. Having earlier seized control of the vessel and slaughtered most of the crew, they were staging an elaborate ruse, acting as if they were humble servants. When Delano, an idealistic, anti-slavery republican, finally realized the deception, he responded with explosive violence. Drawing on research on four continents, __The Empire of Necessity__ explores the multiple forces that culminated in this extraordinary event—an event that already inspired Herman Melville’s masterpiece Benito Cereno. Now historian Greg Grandin, with the gripping storytelling that was praised in Fordlandia, uses the dramatic happenings of that day to map a new transnational history of slavery in the Americas, capturing the clash of peoples, economies, and faiths that was the New World in the early 1800s. Groundbreaking analysis and gripping storytelling from one of today's most original and highly acclaimed historians. 'The Empire of Necessity is scholarship at its best. Greg Grandin's deft penetration into the marrow of the slave industry is compelling, brilliant, and necessary.' -- Toni Morrison 'In this multifaceted masterpiece, Greg Grandin excavates the relentlessly fascinating history of a slave revolt to mine the enduring dilemmas of politics and identity in a New World where the Age of Freedom was also the Age of Slavery. This is that rare book in which the drama of the action and the drama of ideas are equally measured, a work of history and of literary reflection that is as urgent as it is timely.' -- Philip Gourevitch, co-author of the The Ballad of Abu Ghraib 'Greg Grandin has done it again. Starting with a single dramatic encounter in the South Pacific he has shown us an entire world: of multiple continents, terrible bondage and the dream of freedom. This is also a story of how one episode changed the lives of a sea captain and a great writer from the other end of the earth. An extraordinary tale, beautifully told.' -- Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost 'Greg Grandin is one of the best of a new generation of historians who have rediscovered the art of writing for both serious scholars and general readers. This may be his best book yet ... a work of astonishing power, eloquence and suspense, a genuine tour de force.' -- Debby Applegate, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of H 'Rooted in an event known primarily through the genius of Herman Melville's transcendent Benito Cereno, [Wretched Tryal] is a stunning work of research done all over the rims of two oceans, as well as beautiful, withering storytelling. This is a harrowing story of Muslim Africans trekking across South America, and ultimately a unique window on to the nature of the slave trade, the maritime worlds of the early nineteenth century, the lives lived in-between slavery and freedom all over the Americas, and even the ocean-inspired imagination of Melville. Grandin is a master of grand history with new insights.' -- David W. Blight, author of A Slave No More 'Grandin has written a gripping, lavishly researched account of high seas drama, as well as the trials of the slaves before and after their revolt. Equally fascinating is the thesis Grandin advances: that in 1804 human political liberty and abject bondage were both rising apace - often advanced by the very same people ... Compulsively readable.' Christian Science Monitor '[Grandin] writes with the skills of a fine novelist. With herculean archival research, he traces the backstory of each of the main participants ... the owner of the slaves, the Spanish captain, the Yankee captain, and those slaves whose paths to the fateful revolt can be tracked or at least surmised. Then Grandin extends their stories beyond the revolt to the ends of their lives. Each life story leads through the explosive contradictions of the Age of Revolution ... Inventive, audacious, passionate.' Los Angeles Review of Books 'For nearly four centuries, as Greg Grandin writes in his powerful new book, slavery was the "flywheel" that drove the global development of everything from trade and insurance to technology, religion and medicine ... Through a remarkable feat of research he establishes a strong narrative line ... Harrrowing.' New York Times Book Review 'Grandin's pen is exquisite, the descriptions are lively and sensuous. But he is also deeply reflective. The book has import that extends beyond the interest of the story. He is, as scholars often say, making an intervention, challenging how we see the world and its history ... Exciting and illuminating.' San Francisco Chronicle 'Grandin tracks backwards ... like a sleuth, unearthing the motivations and machinations ... It's a testament to Grandin's power as a writer that [seal hunter] Delano's hardships and failings generate sympathy - even when compared with the stuff the Africans faced ... It's impossible to see all that happens as some isolated episode. It's more like the inevitable confrontation of many desperate people. Ocean currents, and the crush of market forces, have brought them all together. I can't say enough good things about The Empire of Necessity. It's one of the best books I've read in a decade.' -- Victor Lavalle Bookforum 'A splendid account ... deeply researched and well-written.' Dallas Morning News 'Fascinating and engaging.' Seattle Times 'As well as correcting the factual errors in Melville's book, Mr Grandin uses Captain Delano's account of this and other incidents to explore the complexities and ambiguities of the Atlantic slave trade.' The Economist 'A wonderfully engaging and original combination of action and reflection, vivid detail and deep insight. It is a shocking story of slavery and brutality, but with an ambition that every historian should have - to truly understand a world.' -- Matthew Parker, author of the Sugar Barons 'Richly informed ... [Grandin] describes his unsettling panorama in a restrained manner, avoiding exaggeration and allowing facts -- many of them horrific -- to tell the story. In doing so, he has produced a quietly powerful account.' Wall Street Journal 'Engrossing, well researched, and beautifully written ... A rigorously sourced work of scholarship with a suspenseful narrative structure that boomerangs back and forth through time. Grandin has deliv-ered a page-turner. You read it as if it were a thriller novel by Scott Turow or Lee Child.' Chicago Tribune 'A great and moving story.' Washington Post 'Remarkable ... superbly argued and richly detailed ... Grandin brings to vivid life the realities of the period' Guardian 'Superb ... An exemplary work of history - even-handed, meticulous, and adroit in balancing action and ideas.' Financial Times 'Accessible ... electrifying' Independant 'gripping' The Good Book Guide. Documents An Early Nineteenth-century Event That Inspired Herman Melville's Benito Cereno, Tracing The Cultural, Economic, And Religious Clash That Occurred Aboard A Distressed Spanish Ship Of West African Pirates. One Morning In 1805, Off A Remote Island In The South Pacific, Captain Amasa Delano, A New England Seal Hunter, Climbed Aboard A Distressed Spanish Ship Carrying Scores Of West Africans Who Appeared To Be Slaves. They Weren't. Having Earlier Seized Control Of The Vessel And Slaughtered Most Of The Crew, They Were Staging An Elaborate Ruse. When Delano, An Idealistic, Anti-slavery Republican, Finally Realized The Deception--that The Men And Women He Thought Were Slaves Were Actually Running The Ship--he Responded With Explosive Violence. Drawing On Research On Four Continents, Historian Greg Grandin Explores The Multiple Forces That Culminated In This Extraordinary Event--an Event That Inspired Herman Melville's Masterpiece Benito Cereno. Here, Grandin Uses The Dramatic Happenings Of That Day To Map A New Transnational History Of Slavery In The Americas, Capturing The Clash Of Peoples, Economies, And Faiths That Was The New World In The Early 1800s.--from Publisher Description. Fast Fish. Hawks Abroad ; More Liberty ; A Lion Without A Crown ; Body And Soul ; A Conspiracy Of Lifting And Throwing ; Interlude : I Never Could Look At Death Without A Shudder -- A Loose Fish. A Suitable Guide To Bliss ; The Levelling System ; South Sea Dreams ; Interlude : Black Will Always Have Something Melancholy In It -- The New Extreme. The Skin Trade ; Falling Man ; The Crossing ; Diamonds On The Soles Of Their Feet ; Interlude : Heaven's Sense -- Further. Killing Seals ; Isolatos ; A Terrific Sovereignty ; Slavery Has Grades ; Interlude : A Merry Repast -- If God Wills. Night Of Power ; The Story Of The San Juan ; Mohammed's Cursed Sect ; Interlude : Abominable, Contemptible Hayti -- Who Ain't A Slave? Desperation ; Deception ; Retribution ; Conviction ; Interlude : The Machinery Of Civilization -- General Average. Lima, Or The Law Of General Average ; The Lucky One ; Undistributed ; Epilogue : Herman Melville's America. Greg Grandin. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 293-342) And Index.

From the acclaimed author of Fordlandia, the story of a remarkable slave rebellion that illuminates America's struggle with slavery and freedom during the Age of Revolution and beyond

One morning in 1805, off a remote island in the South Pacific, Captain Amasa Delano, a New England seal hunter, climbed aboard a distressed Spanish ship carrying scores of West Africans he thought were slaves. They weren't. Having earlier seized control of the vessel and slaughtered most of the crew, they were staging an elaborate ruse, acting as if they were humble servants. When Delano, an idealistic, anti-slavery republican, finally realized the deception, he responded with explosive violence.

Drawing on research on four continents, The Empire of Necessity explores the multiple forces that culminated in this extraordinary event—an event that already inspired Herman Melville's masterpiece Benito Cereno. Now historian Greg Grandin, with the gripping storytelling that was praised in Fordlandia, uses the dramatic happenings of that day to map a new transnational history of slavery in the Americas, capturing the clash of peoples, economies, and faiths that was the New World in the early 1800s.

"One morning in 1805, off a remote island in the South Pacific, Captain Amasa Delano, a New England seal hunter, climbed aboard a distressed Spanish ship carrying scores of West Africans he thought were slaves. They weren't. In fact, they were performing an elaborate ruse, having risen up earlier and slaughtered most of the crew and officers. When Delano, an idealistic, anti-slavery republican, finally realized the deception--the men and women he thought were humble slaves were actually running the ship--he rallied his crew to respond with explosive violence. Drawing on research from four continents, The Empire of Necessity is the untold history of this extraordinary event and its bloody aftermath. Delano's blindness that day has already inspired one masterpiece--Heman Melville's Benito Cerano. Now historian Greg Grandin returns to these dramatic events to paint an indelible portrait of a world in the throes of revolution, providing a new transitional history of slavery in the Americas--and capturing the clash of peoples, economies, and faiths that was the New World in the early 1800's."--Provided by Publisher One morning in 1805, off a remote island in the South Pacific, Captain Amasa Delano, a New England seal hunter, climbed aboard a distressed Spanish ship carrying scores of West Africans he thought were slaves. They weren't. Drawing on research on four continents, this book explores the multiple forces that culminated in this extraordinary event.