Though the Heavens May Fall: The Landmark Trial That Led to the End of Human Slavery [Hardcover]

Steven M. Wise (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0738206954 | ISBN-13: 978-0738206950 | Edition: export ed

The 1772 London trial of James Somerset, rescued from a ship bound for the West Indies slave markets, was a decisive turning point in history. As in the Scopes trial, two encompassing world views clashed in an event of passionate drama. Steven M. Wise, trial lawyer and legal historian, has uncovered layer upon layer of fascinating revelations in a case which threatened, according to slave owners, to bring the economy of the British Empire to a crashing halt. In a gripping narrative of Somerset's trial-and of the slave trials that led up to it-he sets the stage for the unexpected decision by the famously conservative judge, Lord Mansfield, which would lead to the abolition of slavery, both in England and the United States, and the end of the African slave trade.The characters in this great historical moment go beyond a screenwriter's dream: Somerset's novice attorneys arguing their first case; the fervent British abolitionist Granville Sharp, a cross between Ralph Nader and William Lloyd Garrison, who had brought case after case to court in an attempt to abolish slavery; the master's two-faced and skillful lawyer, who had recently argued before Mansfield that slavery could not exist in England; and finally, the greatest judge of his time, Lord Mansfield, whose own mulatto grand-niece, Dido Belle, was his slave.As the case drew to a close Lord Mansfield spoke these stirring words that continue to resound more than two centuries later: "Let Justice be done, though the Heavens may fall."A Merloyd Lawrence Book

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In England, near the end of the eighteenth century, a legal ruling that came to be known as the Mansfield Judgment set the precedent for outlawing slavery in the modern Western world. Somerset, a black American slave, accompanied his master on a journey to England, where slavery had been outlawed. Somerset legally petitioned Lord Mansfield, the premier jurist of the period, to let him remain in England as a free man. Granville Sharpe, England's leading abolitionist, took up the cause. Wise offers a multilayered examination of the characters--the modest Sharpe and the high-born Mansfield--and legal confluences between British tradition and common law behind this case. He also explores the conflict between the ideals of human rights and the commercial interests of slave traders, insurers, and bankers, and the underlying threat to the social order of oppressive apprenticeships as the institution of slavery was challenged. This is a complex and absorbing look at the legal and social forces that eventually led to the outcry against slavery throughout the Western world. Vernon Ford
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A captivating account...Wise brings alive the story...for an entertaining read, pick up Wise's book." -- Law and Politics Book Review5/05

"A detailed account." -- The Economist 2/3/05

"A thorough and convincing account of the case that led to the official banning of slavery in England." -- New York Review of Books7/14/05

"An important book." -- Deseret Morning News 2/18/05

"Fascinating reading." -- Curled Up With a Good Book 1/15/05

"Somerset's trial is full of high drama." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer 2/6/05

"Well-crafted...set[s] forth the legal battles with admirable clarity [and] portray[s] a fascinating gallery of advocates and jurists." -- Boston Globe 1/30/05

"Wise does a good job of guiding the reader through the thicket of eighteenth-century common law...Engaging." -- The Nation 2/14/05

"[Wise's] thoughtful analysis provides an underpinning for the social and legal context of slavery, making this a recommended book." -- Library Journal2/15/05

"[Wise] has an eye for evocative detail and an interest in the trappings and procedures of an 18th-century courtroom ." -- New York Times Book Review 1/9/05

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; export ed edition (January 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738206954
• ISBN-13: 978-0738206950
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Handy Treatment of the Epic Somerset Case, February 8, 2005

By 

Ronald H. Clark (WASHINGTON, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Though the Heavens May Fall: The Landmark Trial That Led to the End of Human Slavery (Hardcover)

This volume is a compact, but complete, treatment of the famous 1772 Somerset decision by Lord Mansfield that confirmed that slavery was not legal within Great Britain (but left slavery intact in British colonies and possessions). The key actor upon which the entire narrative focuses is abolitionist Granville Sharp, who initiated several cases challenging the legality of slavery in Britain until he was finally successful in Somerset. His crusade demonstrates the merits of not being easily discouraged by initial setbacks. Given the fact that he subsisted on and financed litigation through a clerk's salary, one can only stand in amazement at his determination to terminate the practice. The author does a good job in discussing the background and character of Lord Mansfield, certainly one of the most influential actors in the development of English law. The reconstruction of the trial itself is well done. While the research is predominantly based upon secondary sources, as is appropriate in a "popular" history, the narrative is quite easy for the non-lawyer as well as the legal professional to read and profit from--no mean accomplishment in legal history volumes. The endnotes identify valuable sources for further reading on this topic. I found chapter 16, "The Mansfield Judgment," particularly interesting in that apparently there is no 100% official text of Mansfield's decision. The author also does a good job in discussing post-decision developments that reflected the impact of the holding, including some in America. A good solid treatment of an incredibily important legal development.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abolition and a butterfly effect, January 17, 2005

By 

John C. Landon "nemonemini" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Though the Heavens May Fall: The Landmark Trial That Led to the End of Human Slavery (Hardcover)

This well-researched and highly readable account of the Somerset case in the gestation period of the Abolitionist movement brings home just how close to us in time is the phenomenon of slavery and the stark contradictions of social justice and the abysmal conditions of class struggle, mostly sanitized in standard histories. The rescue of James Somerset from certain death in the sugar plantations of the Caribbean and the process of his trial in the labyrinthine system of the British courts is almost a suspence drama. The saga occurs just at the turning point on the question of bondage and freedom and the next generation will struggle on to achieve the result, but this moment shows the breeze picking up before the storm, like a butterfly effect from small changes to massive transformations. Well done account

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great research on an important case, May 1, 2005

By 

Schmerguls "schmerguls" (Sioux City, Ia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Though the Heavens May Fall: The Landmark Trial That Led to the End of Human Slavery (Hardcover)

As on reads this book we know the author has done a careful and excellent job of research in records which it is great still exist. Somerset's case was decided June 22, 1772 by Lord Mansfield and was a vital step to the eventual ending of slavery. This book is so meticulously researched, with careful citations of every case mentioned, that it is a joy to read.