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First Emancipation: The Abolition of Slavery in the North

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In this readable study, Arthur Zilversmit tells the story of the abolition of slavery in the North. Slavery in the North is a generally overlooked and forgotten chapter in the history of American slavery, and Zilversmit's work is one of the few on its abolition. He contends that slavery was profitable in the North, and in some areas, entrenched. As such, abolition met with serious opposition, especially in New York and New Jersey. Moreover, Zilversmit argues that Revolutionary ideology significantly aided the work of gradual abolition. He also notes how far some of the northern abolitionists had come toward advocating the essential equality of the races. Such enlightened views are interesting in light of the abuse abolitionists would receive in the North in the antebellum years. I recommend this work to all students (and teachers) of American slavery and abolition. If you are unable to find a copy of this book, you might want to try Joanne Pope Melish's DISOWNING SLAVERY: GRADUAL EMANCIPATION AND "RACE" IN NEW ENGLAND, published in 1998.