Rearing Wolves to Our Own Destruction: Slavery in Richmond, Virginia, 1782-1865 (Carter G Woodson Institute Series in Black Studies) (Hardcover)

by Midori Takagi (Author) "IN 1782 when Richmond received its formal recognition as a city, it had only a thousand inhabitants and hardly resembled a bustling metropolis; incorporated or..." (more)
Key Phrases: James River, Big House, First African Baptist Church (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"An outstanding addition to the literature placing slaves at the center of slave history." - Choice "An extremely valuable contribution to slavery historiography." - Virginia Magazine "Takagi presents a solid account of the successful adaptation of slavery to industrial labor in Virginia's capital while demonstrating how industrial employment allowed blacks to carve out a degree of autonomy that 'sowed the seeds' for slavery's potential demise." - Mississippi Quarterly "Until now, no scholar has undertaken a comprehensive study of slavery and freedom in [Richmond]. Fortunately, Midori Takagi's elegant and detailed study... is of such genuine excellence that no other writer need believe that the task has yet to be done right.... Exceptional." - H-Net Reviews "If war had not broken out in 1861 and put African-American slavery on the fast track to destruction, would it have died a natural death? Historians have debated this question for decades, and attention has focused on how adaptable slavery was to an urban environment.... To the discussions of earlier generations of historians Ms. Takagi adds substance and texture by her innovative use of local court records housed at the Library of Virginia. Court testimony reveals just how much freedom hired slaves enjoyed. While such evidence cannot prove that slavery would have died a slow death after 1860, it certainly dramatizes how slavery in Richmond differed from the stereotypical picture of African-American slavery." - Richmond Times-Dispatch --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Richmond was not only the capital of Virginia and of the Confederacy, it was also one of the most industrialized cities south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Boasting ironworks, tobacco-processing plants, and flour mills, the city by 1860 drew half of its male workforce from the local slave population. "Rearing Wolves to Our Own Destruction" examines this unusual urban labor system from 1782 until the end of the Civil War. Richmond's urban slave system offered blacks a level of economic and emotional support not usually available to plantation slaves. "Rearing Wolves to Our Own Destruction" offers a valuable portrait of urban slavery in an individual city that raises questions about the adaptability of slavery as an institution to an urban setting and, more importantly, the ways in which slaves were able to turn urban working conditions to their own advantage.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 187 pages
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813918340
• ISBN-13: 978-0813918341
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,142,132 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Corner Stone to Slavery in Richmond, February 22, 2001

By	Ronald R. Seagrave (Spotsylvania, VA USA) - See all my reviews

No library should be without this text. It helps one gain a basic understanding of a city faced with very difficult times, while the various issues concernig slavery become flames and turn the city to ashes.