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Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves

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Bury the Chains recounts the story of the struggle for abolition in the British Empire. Author Adam Hochschild, concentrates on the fifty-year period leading up to the eventual emancipation throughout the British possessions in 1838. Hochschild's recent work King Leopold's Ghost also covered the topic of indigenous peoples oppressed by imperialist Europeans.

Starting in 1787 the work covers the efforts of a group of 12 men and those they inspired to work towards the abolition of the Slave Trade. During this time, Parliament was always a step behind popular opinion, which grew increasingly more anti-slavery with each passing year. It was not until Parliament itself was reformed in the 1830s that the necessary legislation could be passed to reflect the sentiment of the nation.

The book highlights many of the activists whose names have become footnotes to History. Olaudah Equiano was a freed slave who worked all his life to better the plight of Africans. His autobiography was a bestseller in its day and helped to spread the idea that Blacks could succeed as freemen. Granville Sharp, a musician, used his vast family connections to keep the issue in the public eye for decades. James Somerset sought his freedom in a landmark trial in 1772, which declared that all slaves were free once they came to England. An Anglican minister, Thomas Clarkson, worked for decades with politician William Wilberforce to show the evils of the slave trade.

Anti-Slavery activists created a public relations campaign that would seem right at home to the modern reader. Buttons, pins, posters, book tour, and other PR techniques were employed to win over the minds of the population. Clarkson developed a display of the shackles used by owners and toured through England and Scotland. The `Middle Passage' route, which carried slaves to their new homes in the West Indies, was made infamous by diagrams showing the crowded holds and high death rates.

The struggle had many success and as many, or more, failures. A model colony was set up in Africa to demonstrate the economic advantages to be gained by exploitation of the land and not the people. The climate and soil proved inhospitable to the European crops and the local tribes were hostile to efforts that would damage their trade with the Europeans. In the end, many of the colonists were reduced to working for the slave traders to avoid starvation.

The French Revolution seemed to offer the promise of freedom to those in bondage in French colonies. Many of the early supporters of the French Revolution felt it to be a decisive turning point in the Abolition movement. Within a few years, however, French Slave ships sailed again with ironic names like "Fraternite", "Egalite", and "Liberte". Napoleon's forces put down a slave revolt lead by Toussaint L'Ouverture but were forced eventually to withdraw his troops from the Island of St. Domingue. The loss of the island was a factor influencing Napoleon to sell the Louisiana Territory to Thomas Jefferson.

It was not until 1807 that the slave trade itself was banned by Parliament. It took another thirty years of work by the abolitionist movement, as well as reform of the electorate, before slaves in the West Indies were freed. By the time of emancipation, only one of the original twelve who started the movement was alive.

Created as a popular history, Bury the Chains is well written and fascinating. The general reader will find it to contain a good narrative filled with interesting events and memorable characters. The academic user will find the lack of footnotes in the text dismaying but all quotes and sources are well documented at the end of the book. The author uses both primary and secondary sources especially recent works such as journal articles and collections of primary documents. This book tells a remarkable story and it tells it remarkably well.

This is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. Hochschild tells an important story very powerfully and with great feeling and humanity. And he has some facinating heroes and villains, because this is a tale of human beings at our very best and at our very worst.

Hochschild shows us the developing moral insight of abolitionist leaders like Thomas Clarkson, Granville Sharpe and the Quakers, who somehow understood something early on that was unclear to many Britons: that slavery was evil. He also limns the amazing life of Olaudah Equiano, who knew slavery from personal experience, and shows how a small group was able to move millions of people its cause--and even get hundreds of thousands to give up sugar in their tea.

Also--and very importantly--Hochschild shows how eventual emancipation was not a gift from European and American humanitarians, but at least partially the result of a long struggle in the slave colonies by the slaves themselves, generations of whom proved willing, again and again, to die for their freedom. It is interesting that the slave revolts in the West Indies were often a setback in public opinion for the British abolitionists: apparently it was easier to accept the idea that slavery was evil than it was to get to the idea that slaves have an inherent right of armed resistance.

Meticulous and detailed research and a passionate yet thoughtful writing style are great strengths of this book. Hard to put down, and hard to stop thinking about even months after finishing it.

In reading this excellent book, it is important to not read more into it than its narrow subject matter, for example, to not conclude that anti-slavery views and activism did not begin anywhere until the late 18th century, and the small number British abolitionists whose activities Hochschild so well narrates. Many were opposing slavery long before, e.g.,

(a) Samuel Sewall, Selling of Joseph: A Memorial (Boston: Green and Allen, 1700);

(b) Ralph Sandiford, A Brief Examination of the Practice of the Times (Philadelphia: Franklin and Meredith, 1729);

(c) Benjamin Lay, All Slave-Keepers That Keep The Innocent in Bondage, Apostates (Philadelphia: Ben Franklin, 1737).

Note also abolitionist writings such as by

(a) Abolitionist Rev. Theodore D. Weld, The Bible Against Slavery (New York: American Anti-Slavery Society, 1837), tracing condemnations of slavery back to the Bible, the Law of Moses, and Ancient Israel;

(b) Abolitionist Rev. George B. Cheever, God Against Slavery and the Freedom and Duty of the Pulpit To Rebuke It, As a Sin against God (Cincinnati: American Reform Tract and Book Society, 1857), tracing condemnations of slavery back to the Bible, the Law of Moses, Ancient Israel, the prophet Jeremiah, and Ancient Judah;

(c) Abolitionist Rev. John G. Fee, An Anti-Slavery Manual, or, The Wrongs of American Slavery Exposed By the Light of the Bible and of Facts, with A Remedy for the Evil, 2d ed. (New York: William Harned, 1851), showing slavery condemned back at least to the time of the Biblical Patriarch Joseph, indeed, in principle (the "original grant" concept) back to the time of the Garden of Eden;

(d) Alvan Stewart, Legal Argument For the Deliverance of 4,000 Persons from Bondage (New York: Finch & Weed, 1845), tracing anti-slavery activism back to the violent divine intervention in direct opposition to slavery via the Exodus, with ten plagues, fugitive slaves fleeing Egypt, reparations of silver, gold and clothing at the "plundering" level, mass deaths of slavers, including the first-born and the drowning of Egypt's army;

(e) Abolitionist Edward Coit Rogers, Letters on Slavery Addressed to the Pro-slavery Men of America, Showing Its Illegality in All Ages and Nations: Its Destructive War Upon Society and Government, Morals and Religion (Boston: Bela Marsh, 1855), showed slavery condemnation among Ancient Greece and Rome, the early Christians, Medieval European societies, and so on.

So it is vital to understanding, to not conclude that anti-slavery views and activism did not begin anywhere until the persons Hochschild cites began their late in history activism. They were in fact following numerous precedents going back thousands of years.

This is a well-written, readable account of the British movement to end the trade in slaves. Hochschild argues, with justification, that this movement was in some ways the template for all future political movements, complete with newsletters, buttons, and boycotts. The main weakness of the book, in my view, is its failure to appreciate the transatlantic nature of the anti-slavery movement in the late 18th and early 19th century. Hochschild mentions only a few American antislavery advocates (curiously including Jefferson in his list); he fails to mention John Jay (who served as first president of the New York Manumussion Society from 1784 onwards) and Alexander Hamilton (another member of the NY Manumussion Society and proponent during the Revolution of a scheme to enlist blacks in the army and "give them their freedom with their muskets.") Anthony Benezet, whose antislavery pamphlets preceded and indeed guided the British, is given a brief mention. Those interested in the US side of the story could consult Ron Chernow's book on Alexander Hamilton or my new biography of John Jay, set to appear in March, as well as more specialized works such as Zilversmit, First Emancipation.

The curse of slavery had haunted civilization for thousands of years, even the moderate gains of the medieval period seemingly eroded by the rise of the modern economy in the exploitation of Caribbean sugar capitalism, and yet within a generation the rise of abolitionism triggered the final end of the institution. This account of the birth of the abolitionist advocacy, in mysterious synchrony with the American French Revolutions,tells the tale of twelve men who created one of the first effective grassroots movements in history. It is a tale with many episodes, among them many failures, but an outstanding moral: don't give up. Well done, from the author of King Leopolds'Ghost. See also, Though the Heavens May Fall, from Stephen Wise.

Was a bit worried that this book would be too academic and dry, but was rewarded with a fantastic historical tour of one of the key turning points in human progress. The determination of the key abolitionists to overcome the maddening spin of the status quo powerbrokers of the day - is a key plot line substantiated by the author. In fact it seems that that were pioneers of many of the core advocacy and and polical tactics still used today. Read this fairly hefty book in less than 12 hours; it was so absorbing.

Early in 2005, Houghton Mifflin published Adam Hochschild's latest book, Bury the Chains, in which the author documents the amazing accomplishments of a committee of twelve men who decided in 1787 to stop English slave trading. They not only ended slave trading, in 1838 they also abolished human bondage in the British Empire. The title of the book refers to the symbolic burying of chains and whips in Jamaica in 1838, after slavery was eradicated.

Hochschild believes the British abolitionists he documented in his book can provide inspiration for people today. He wrote, "Their passion and optimism are still contagious and still relevant to our times, when, in so many parts of the world, equal rights for all men and women seem far distant."

After reading Bury the Chains, I agree with the author, and I suspect you will also.

The struggle described in the book reminds me of the biblical story of David and Goliath. "David" represents the twelve men dedicated to stopping slavery during a period when various forms of it were so extensive. In 1787 only one fourth of the world's population had even limited freedom. "Goliath" represents the leaders of the English government who benefited financially from the slave trade and did not want to give it up. Instead of slingshot and stones, "David" used petition drives, mass propaganda, and lobbying to end British involvement in slave trafficking.

This book illustrates how a few dedicated individuals can make a dramatic difference in the world. I found it difficult to lay the book down because I kept wondering how so few men could accomplish so much.

The author explained why abolitionists were more effective in England than in other parts of the world. The following are a few of the characteristics of life in England in the last few years of the 18th century that contributed to their effectiveness:

· Reading and debating were very popular in England, so it was possible to get people involved in learning about and discussing the topic of slave trading.

· The well-maintained roads and excellent postal system made it easy to send or take messages quickly to any place in England and facilitated activities such as petition drives.

· The Quakers throughout England dedicated themselves to ending slavery and contributed money and a countrywide network of committed men and women to the cause.

The author described some of the ways the twelve members contributed to the committee. Nine of the twelve men were Quakers who believed that all people, regardless of race, had a divine spark inside them and were equal in the eyes of God. At the time most people thought blacks inferior to whites. The Quakers beliefs led them to establish Britain's first antislavery society.

The nine Quakers had little success with their antislavery efforts until three Anglican evangelists joined them and they established the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The three new members contributed unique talents.

Granville Sharp, a lawyer, had already been involved with trying to stop slavery for twenty years. He provided the group with experience and helped them with legal matters.

William Wilberforce, an eloquent member of the British Parliament, presented the committee's case before Parliament every year until it was accepted.

Thomas Clarkson, an indefatigable Cambridge divinity graduate, devoted himself to the Society for over 50 years. Clarkson, skilled in mass organization, started petition drives, direct mailings, newsletters, boycotts, legal test cases and lobbying in an attempt to pressure the British to stop slave trafficking.

Within five years of the creation of the Society, more than 300,000 Britons refused to eat the major slave-grown product, which was sugar from sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean. Even London's society leaders wore antislavery badges.

In addition to the committee members, other men and women contributed to the cause. John Newton, a former slave ship captain famous for writing the song Amazing Grace, helped to document the brutality of the inhumane trade.

Olaudah Equiano, a former slave, wrote a book about his experiences as a slave. His book helped the citizens of Britain recognize he was a human, just like them, and not the sub human the slavery industry claimed.

In 1807 the British Parliament abolished slave trading and the British began forcing other European nations to give up the trade as well.

Clarkson and his associates assumed that ending the slave trafficking would lead to the freeing of all beings. When this didn't happen, Clarkson helped form the British Anti-Slavery Society, which at first advocated gradual abolition. When planters in the Caribbean refused to make concessions, abolitionists began demanding immediate emancipation. This pressure and continuing slave unrest led Parliament to pass the Emancipation Act in 1833. By 1838 all slaves in the British Empire were set free.

This book is instructive and inspiring. Instructive because it documents the holocaust the Caribbean slaves experienced. Inspiring because it shows that small groups of motivated people can be an incredible influence for good. This story of the twelve men who helped to peacefully eradicate slavery in the British Empire, decades before it was ended in the United States, is truly inspiring.

Hochschild has written a compelling, provocative book that I heartily enjoyed. In addition to good narratives and compelling anecdotes, he shines as he tries to make the social conventions and economic realities of the time period comprehensible today.
Mr. Hochschild is of the opinion that Wilberforce has received way too much credit for what was in reality a broad-based, complex movement of many decades. I have no problem with this and I respect his research and credentials. But he does seem to have an ax to grind with Christianity. No, I am not someone naive enough to hold that Christians can do/ have not done any wrong. But while Hochschild sometimes go to great lengths to make the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries comprehensible, he does not make this same effort for the Christians of that era.
Most notably, he singles out John Newton, author of Amazing Grace, for withering commentary. While I am not here to defend John Newton or assert he had no blind spots (like so many people of his day), I do think Mr. Hochschild trashes him unfairly. Christianity is not an instantaneous transformation but a lifelong process. The fact that John Newton left the slave trade, became a pastor but did not become a leader in the abolition movement somehow is incomprehensible to the author who infers that Newton's religion was a blind and hypocritical sham. This is most glaring sore point in an otherwise wonderful book that I am very glad to have read.

Beginning in 1555 and lasting for 350 years, the British empire bought, sold, and enslaved about 11 million African people. This required some 35,000 voyages along the so-called triangular trade route: buying slaves from African slave traders along the continent's west coast, depositing their human cargo mainly in the Caribbean to work on Britain's sugar plantations but also to ports from Quebec to Chile, and then returning to England with imports for the empire. At the end of the 18th century slavery was hardly unusual; it was the rule for most peoples and places on earth. What was unusual was that in the space of about fifty years Britain outlawed the slave trade, and then a while later slavery itself (abolition was one thing, genuine emancipation another).

How did the unthinkable happen? How did an economic system that was so deeply embedded, so profitable, and so taken for granted as normal by almost everyone, disappear so swiftly? Hochschild describes the abolition movement as "one of the most ambitious and brilliantly organized citizens's movements of all time." Many of the political means that we enjoy today were perfected back then-- investigative journalism into the real conditions of slave life, sugar boycotts, 519 petitions to the British parliament with 390,000 signatures, public debates, media campaigns, and every day activism. Progressive women's groups far ahead of their time, missionaries (despised by the plantation owners), British evangelicals, Methodists, and especially the culturally marginal Quakers all provided principled moral argument. The herculean efforts of Thomas Clarkson, the parliamentary leadership of William Wilberforce, and the legal advocacy of the eccentric Granville Sharp were essential.

But Hochschild is careful to avoid the paternalism of self-congratulatory, aristocratic benevolence. After all, when all was said and done, it was the slave-owning planters who were reimbursed for their "losses" by the British government and not the slaves. Whenever possible he allows the slaves to speak for themselves, like the remarkable Olaudah Equiano, whose 500-page best-selling autobiography Interesting Narrative provided a first person narrative of what is still considered the best account of slave life (and is still available today); and Quobna Ottobah Cugoano's Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil and Wicked Traffic of the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species. He describes at great length the numerous slave revolts in which fearless and skilled leaders like Toussaint L'Overture led slaves to free themselves and force the British to face reality, however reluctant they were to do so. In these violent and vicious revolts the most beleaguered people on earth defeated the world's two greatest military powers, France and Britain, in Haiti and Jamaica.

Bury the Chains joins Hochschild's previous book King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa (1999) about Belgium's plunder of the Congo. The stories are depressing but inspiring, for however dark these histories, however deep our national complicity, the narratives remind us that we are nor fated to accept injustice to our fellow human beings. Whether in Iraq or Darfur, whether with malaria or HIV-AIDS, the abolition of slavery reminds us that effective movements of genuine social justice are possible.

This is great example of how history can be written and made to seem like a novel at the same time. And not just any novel, a great novel. In many ways this reads like a Dicken's novel. We have noble people involved in a noble cause; evil people out for themselves and to destroy the noble cause.

Hochschild, has a way of presenting people from a totally different age and time, as if they were your peers. His detailed discussions of the everyday tribulations that the characters went through, adds a multilayered understanding of not just what they wanted to accomplish but how inventive they were about doing it.