Customer Reviews

Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in the Eighteenth-Century Chesapeake and Lowcountry (Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American Hist)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Morgan's analysis will give anyone who wants to know more about slavery an immense amount of material. Comparing the Chesapeake and Lowcountry areas of the American colonies during the eighteenth century, Morgan discusses the economic and cultural sides of the different slave institutions and discusses black-white encounters. No matter how one may try to define slavery in one, distinct way, Morgan shows there is always an exception to that definition. I know Morgan worked for many years to produce this book and that this book is the culmination of an immense amount of research and analysis, but this book would make a larger impact if it was shorter. By the time I was done reading this mammoth book, I had a hard time remembering all the topics he brought up. For any history student, like me, it is worth reading, but make sure you give yourself plenty of time to understand it.

This is a great new look at N.A. slavery. First, its a comparative history of two slave colonies. Morgan does a great job explainng how slave cultures were quite different and far from uniform in the two colonies. Each colonies unique economic situation provided for very different slave cultures. Great book, very detailed, very well written.

NEGATIVES

1. Though detail is nice, often too much detail can cause one to wabder too far from the line of argument. As a phd student in history, I cannot critique morgan too much for this because all historians want to add every detail they find.

2. Contradictions ---possibly due to large amount of detail, but Morgan often contradicts himself thoughout the work.

3. Feel Good story - this is a critique only because this book is or should be designated for the specialist. Morgan does an outstanding job discussing the cultural developments, and avoids discussing theatrocities of slavery. Though this is ok, it could lead to misunderstandings to the non speicalist. Hence, this work should not be taken as an attempt to argue that slavery was not as cruel as once thought, but there is something deeper than working, get whipped, sleep, and all over again. So if you know little about American Slavery, be sure to understand that Morgan is not dismissing the brutality of it, he is simply trying to show that it was more complex than people think.

GREAT BOOK!!!

I have read no better detailed study than this book. Long but worth it due to the rich detail.

I had the pleasure of listening to this author lecture to in class during my senior year of college. Having the opportunity to discuss this book with the author made Slave Counterpoint come to life. Slave Counterpoint makes the topic of Antebellum slavery captivating for those interested in learning about the early days of slavery in the Cheasapeake Bay region. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has a sharp curiosity about early colonial history and wishes to be engaged in an honest account of events(I would recommend reading this book a couple of chapeter at a time).

I had to read this book for my History of Slavery class, thought by the author. Dr. Morgan gave excellent insight in addition to his book. I would suggust this book to anyone for anytype of reading, pleasure and required.