Smallwood herself describes the subject, writing, saltwater slavery brings the people aboard slave ships to. In this book, stephanie smallwood focuses on the socalled middle passage, the atlantic crossing that over twelve million enslaved africans were forced to take. Lose your mother 2006, scholarship calling for a fully loaded cost accounting of slavery has countered the earlier weight. Saltwater slavery succeeds in its primary objective of bringing the people aboard slave ships to life as subjects in american social history 3. The book is a major contribution to the study of slavery and the slave trade as well as african and african american history. In the book, smallwood attempts to reconstruct the experiences the captives suffered throughout the journey into slavery. Brown, a fugitive slave, written by himself, it was published by the boston antislavery office in 1847. Published in 2007, it won the 2008 frederick douglas book prize, awarded to the best book written in english regarding. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be.
Smallwood takes us into the ports and stone fortresses where african captives. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora, stephanie e. The paramount difficulty in studying the atlantic slave trade is in trying to include the perspective of its victims, the africans kidnapped from their homes, brutalized during the middle passage, and then dispersed in the americas among a hostile and. This bold, innovative book promises to radically alter our understanding of the atlantic slave trade, and the depths of its horrors. Whats a good nonfiction book about slavery doesn t have to be related to north american slavery im taking my seminar class and i need to find a book on slavery and write a scholarly book analysis on it, but i dont know where to begin.
Ultimately, saltwater slavery details how african people were transformed into atlantic commodities in the process. To ask other readers questions about saltwater slavery, please sign up. The anomalous intimacies of the slave cargo saltwater slavery. Stephanie smallwoods saltwater slavery is the new starting point for studies of the middle passage and required reading for students of the black atlantic.
Citation formats are based on standards as of july 2010. For example, she argues that enslaved people leaving africa had little idea where they were being taken or what was to be required of them when they continue reading saltwater slaverydiscussion. Harriet jacobs, incidents in the life of a slave girl, written by herself 1861. Saltwater slavery top results of your surfing saltwater slavery start download portable document format pdf and ebooks electronic books free online rating news 20162017 is books that can provide inspiration, insight, knowledge to the reader. Black history was promoted very largely at black colleges. A more detailed handout will be provided on september 19. Wired published an excerpt from christopher wanjeks spacefarers on how space tries to kill you. Embedded in those records are the elements of another narrative 2. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora by author and history professor stephanie e. Thus, to talk about the atlantic slave ship experience as. The history of slavery originally was the history of the governments laws and policies toward slavery, and the political debates about it. Smallwoods book is eloquently written but, nevertheless, remains a grim reminder of the human costs of the atlantic slave trade and a powerful.
Thus, to talk about the atlantic slave ship experience asread more about saltwater slavery reaction academic. In saltwater slavery, stephanie smallwood attempts to reconstruct the atlantic slave trade from the perspective of africans. Smallwood offers a penetrating look at the process of enslavement from its african origins through the middle passage and into the american slave market. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading saltwater slavery. Saltwater slavery is animated by deep research and gives us a graphic experience of the slave.
Love this site, but this is not a list on the african slave trade, it is a list of books about slavery. Tellingly, for smallwood, it left saltwater slaves, as. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora kindle edition by smallwood, stephanie e download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Ebook saltwater slavery as pdf download portable document. She begins her narrative on the shores of seventeenthcentury. Published february 28, 2007 by harvard university press. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora stephanie e. Saltwater slavery is thoroughly researched, fully documented, provocatively argued, and engagingly written.
Edition by jean fagan yellin or nell irvin painter or any edition. Saltwater slavery is an awardwinning study of how the atlantic slave trade worked to transform. Saltwater slavery is animated by deep research and gives us a graphic experience of. Smallwood and the 2008 winner of the frederick douglass book prize. Ira berlin, university of maryland, author of many thousands gone stephanie smallwoods saltwater slavery sets a new standard. Saltwater slavery wikipedia saltwater slavery a middle passage from africa to american diaspora is a book by stephanie e smallwood and the 2008 winner of the frederick douglass book prize the book attempts to tell the story of enslaved africans through the accounts of the royal africa company rac from 1675 to 1725. As one can imagine, a book written about the african experience, based on european accounts can bring about a few doubts. African slaves in the novel saltwater slavery by smallwood. Smallwood is a work of historical nonfiction that recreates the slave trade through the eyes of african slaves.
Thus, to talk about the atlantic slave ship experience as the middle passage does not correspond to the. Introduction summary the introduction to saltwater slavery describes the arrival of ships bearing slaves during the spring and summer of 1721. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora study guide questions and answers. Race and slavery in history and popular culture george. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora discussion and chapter questions and find saltwater slavery. With this new study of transatlantic slavery, smallwood promises to add an unprecedented dimension to research on american slavery. Rather than try to encompass the transatlantic trade in its entirety, smallwood focuses on a single current over a fixed periodspecifically, the movement of africans from the gold coast to british north america between 1675 and 1725. Yet the heavily quantitative and europeancentered nature of the evidence on the transatlantic slave trade still poses difficulties for historians who desire to write.
Saltwater slavery february 28, 2007 edition open library. Published february 1st 2007 by harvard university press. Smallwood is an associate professor of history and comparative history of ideas at the university of washington. Although smallwoods study is more focused she looks at 300,000 africans who. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora is a book by stephanie. Smallwoods book is eloquently written but, nevertheless, remains a grim reminder of the human costs of the atlantic slave trade and a powerful commentary on the market forces that helped to nurture it. Saltwater slavery written by stephanie smallwood was an intriguing read about the journey of captives along the atlantic passage to the americas. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora cambridge. The book attempts to tell the story of enslaved africans through the accounts of the royal africa company rac from 1675 to 1725.
This is one of the worst written sections of the book, and as someone well versed in the subject myself i dont feel as though she actually understood what she was writing about, every late20thcentury revisionist line is forced into this. Smallwood describes records kept by the merchants and colonial authorities to monitor international commerce and track the flow of commodities. Get an answer for what are saltwater africans in africanamerican history. Published in 2007, it won the 2008 frederick douglas book prize, awarded to the best book written in english regarding slavery or abolition. Saltwater slavery reaction academic essay write my essay.
The book was very popular and went through four editions in the united states. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. She begins her narrative on the shores of seventeenthcentury africa, tracing how the trade in human bodies came to define the life of the gold coast. For example, she argues that enslaved people leaving africa had little idea where they were being taken or what was to be required of them when they arrived. Smallwoods story is animated by deep research and gives us a startlingly graphic experience of the slave trade from the vantage point of the slaves themselves. Slavery and the american south his393h5f, lec0101 fall. Saltwater slavery reaction academic essay write my. African diaspora, africans, history, migrations, slave.
Saltwater slavery reaction academic essay approvedscholars. Smith national library for the study of george washington and the omohundro institute of early american history and culture for a roundtable discussion of race and slavery in history and popular culture, focused on the history. What are saltwater africans in africanamerican history. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora is a book by stephanie e. These topics include economics of slavery, commodification, trauma and a lot more that occurred for africans in the middle passage. For saltwater slavery, smallwood provides an insight on the transatlantic slave trade ranging from several topics throughout the book. Morris, southern slavery and the law, isbn 9780807848173. Smallwood, associate professor of history at the university of washington, seattle, has been selected as the winner of the 2008 frederick douglass book prize, awarded for the best book written in english on slavery or abolition. Whats a good nonfiction book about slavery doesnt have. The slaves shipped here came with a militant spirit after being harbored amongst the torturous vessels. Historian stephanie smallwood wins frederick douglass book. Their aggression, at first took the form of resistance on slave ships as many deckhands and captive slaves experienced the unforgiving waters, this is again explained in. Smallwood, associate professor of history, has been selected as the winner of the 2008 frederick douglass book prize, awarded for the best book written in english on slavery or abolition. Smallwood examines the interaction between europeans and africans in the gold coast slave trade during the seventeenth through eighteenth centuries.
Educated at columbia and duke, smallwood has received grants to do research in the united kingdom and ghana from. Africa and the africanism the age of the atlantic slave trade. The situation changed dramatically with the coming of the civil rights movement of the 1950s. From nell painters landmark essay, soul murder, to saidiya hartmans recent travel memoir. A middle passage from africa to american diaspora harvard university press. Smallwood in her imaginative new book, saltwater slavery. Published in 2007, saltwater slavery was adapted from smallwoods 1999 dissertation saltwater slavery to coincide with the abolition of the slave trade. Smallwood seeks to better understand the perspectives of slaves in the atlantic world of the middle passage by reading between the lines of european documents to tease out the slaves narratives. Smallwood herself describes the subject, writing, saltwater slavery brings the people aboard slave ships to life as subjects in american social history. Saltwater slavery a middle passage from africa to american diaspora by stephanie e. Students will be able to communicate historical knowledge in written and oral forms and develop skills in reading, critical thinking, and analytical writing. Brad austins course on slavery in new england, taught at salem state university, salem, massachusetts. Smallwood received her undergraduate degree from columbia university and her doctorate from duke university.