Slave Life on the Plantation: Prisons Beneath the Sun (Slavery in American History) [Library Binding]

Richard Worth (Author), Henry Louis, JR. Gates (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9–This book outlines the history of slavery in the U.S. from the 1600s through Reconstruction with a focus on a slave's life "under the plantation system." Throughout, the author emphasizes the cruelty and harshness of the institution and the constant fear of separation that families faced. One chapter examines the relationship between owners and slaves and another explores African-American culture on the plantation. The final section covers the period from the beginning of the Civil War through the mid-1860s when the freedmen "began to walk the long road toward achieving equality with white Americans in education, employment, and standards of living." The text draws heavily upon the reminiscences of former slaves and quotes from prominent historians. Full-page, large-print quotes appear under the banner "Source Document." The book is illustrated with average-quality, archival black-and-white photographs and reproductions. Maps note the number of individuals in slavery in each state from 1790 to 1860. Covering this topic in seven chapters is a colossal task; this book will serve only as a basic introduction to the subject.–Patricia Ann Owens, Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Tim McNeese's The Rise and Fall of American Slavery.

Gr. 6-12. Drawing on personal slave narratives as well as the commentary and analysis of eminent scholars, these titles in the Slavery in American History series bring immediacy and depth to crucial events and assess their lasting impact on America's economy, politics, and culture. McNeese's volume provides the big picture, from the slave trade and colonial history through the Civil War and the struggle for abolition and emancipation. Worth frames his account within the sweep of history, but his focus is on daily life--the work, the hardship (especially the breakup of family life), punishment, and resistance--and he discusses the relationship between owners and slaves, the importance of cotton, and African American culture. Both titles include several stirring page-long slave narratives as well as black-and-white drawings and photos. The documentation is exemplary, with clear chapter notes along with bibliographies and Web sites that will help students to find out more. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Library Binding: 128 pages
• Publisher: Enslow Publishers (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766021521
• ISBN-13: 978-0766021525
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,086,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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