The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas [Paperback]

David Eltis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1999 | ISBN-10: 052165548X | ISBN-13: 978-0521655484

Exploring the paradox of the concurrent development of slavery and freedom in the European domains, The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas provides a fresh interpretation of the development of the English Atlantic slave system. The book outlines a major African role in the evolution of the Atlantic societies before the nineteenth century and argues that the transatlantic slave trade was a result of African strength rather than African weakness. It also addresses changing patterns of group identity to account for the racial basis of slavery in the early modern Atlantic World.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Eltis's impressive book does good work in two different arenas. Specialists in research on the Atlantic slave trade in Africa and the Americas will see better then before the integration among markets and regions that characterized this trade. Economists and historians who are not specialists will see this as well, but they will also find the book a proficient and well-sourced overview of a massive subject." EH.NET

"The Rise of African Slavery bears all the hallmarks of the historical craftsmanship we have come to expect from Eltis; a grasp of theoretical and statistical complexity, a mastery of archival materials and a rare ability to impose a tight and disciplined argument on material which, in less talented hands, might overwhelm the author. Here, as elsewhere, Eltis reveals himself to be the finest historian in the field." International Journal of Maritime History

"Eltis has produced a volume of remarkable empirical depth and insightful interpretation that deserves a wide audience. His enormously important book will no doubt quickly come to be regarded as one of the best examples of what the growing field of Atlantic history has to offer...The author's probing, often provocative conclusions will surely stimulate debate among specialists in a range of subfields concerned with the early modern histories of Europe, Africa, and the Americas." William and Mary Quarterly

"Commented the Gilder Lehrman Center's director, David Brion Davis, professor of history at Yale: ' This work fundamentally reshapes our understanding of the origins and development of African slavery in the New World...Professor Eltis' painstakingly researched and convincingly argued book stands as a major contribution to the field.'" Houston, TX NEWSPAGES

"As an economic history of the Atlantic slave trade and the plantation complex in the Americas, Dr. Eltis's work contains an impressive amount of factual and quantitative detail." The Americas

"The book shows that African agency was crucially important in determining who entered the slave trade and how it was conducted...Eltis writes clearly and provocatively and never loses sight of the larger framework he is dicussing." The International History Review

"This is a well-crafted, imaginatively constructed, complex account of why slavery in the Americas became exclusively African...This elegantly written account is tantalizing, provocative..." American Historical Review Dec 2001

"...a sophisticated, highly recommended, and unusually stimulating book with an outstanding bibliography...readers will admire the strong appeal to consider the cultural dimensions of economic and political decision-making." The Historian

Book Description

Exploring the paradox of the concurrent development of slavery and freedom in the European domains, Europeans and the Rise of African Slavery in the Americas provides a fresh interpretation of the development of the English Atlantic slave system. The book outlines a major African role in the evolution of the Atlantic societies before the nineteenth century and argues that the transatlantic slave trade was a result of African strength rather than African weakness. It also addresses changing patterns of group identity to account for the racial basis of slavery in the early modern Atlantic World.

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052165548X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521655484
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strong content, but not strikingly new ideas in the field, September 27, 2001

By 

Matthew Grinsell (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas (Paperback)

In his work titled The Rise of Africa Slavery in the Americas, David Eltis approaches the subject with the aim of highlighting "the tensions that emerge as people pursue goals, moral or material, that cannot be achieved at once or are at odds with some aspect of their individual or their system of belief." Here, Eltis attempts to clarify the "How?" of slavery. While offering a great insight into the intentions and rational of European enslavement of Africans, Eltis does not provide a revolutionary new view of slavery. His work is centered around proving that "it was not just European power and resources that made overseas expansion possible, but also the subcontinent's odd social structure and values." Eltis adds support to the evidence that Africans not only played a significant role in the development of the Atlantic Slave Trade but that the success of the trade was more due to the strengths of the African traders and the strength of number among the enslaved.