Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for History "Impressively researched and beautifully crafted…a brilliant account of slavery in Virginia during and after the Revolution." ―Mark M. Smith; Wall Street Journal Frederick Douglass recalled that slaves living along Chesapeake Bay longingly viewed sailing ships as "freedom’s swift-winged angels." In 1813 those angels appeared in the bay as British warships coming to punish the Americans for declaring war on the empire. Over many nights; hundreds of slaves paddled out to the warships seeking protection for their families from the ravages of slavery. The runaways pressured the British admirals into becoming liberators. As guides; pilots; sailors; and marines; the former slaves used their intimate knowledge of the countryside to transform the war. They enabled the British to escalate their onshore attacks and to capture and burn Washington; D.C. Tidewater masters had long dreaded their slaves as "an internal enemy." By mobilizing that enemy; the war ignited the deepest fears of Chesapeake slaveholders. It also alienated Virginians from a national government that had neglected their defense. Instead they turned south; their interests aligning more and more with their section. In 1820 Thomas Jefferson observed of sectionalism: "Like a firebell in the night [it] awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once the knell of the union." The notes of alarm in Jefferson's comment speak of the fear aroused by the recent crisis over slavery in his home state. His vision of a cataclysm to come proved prescient. Jefferson's startling observation registered a turn in the nation’s course; a pivot from the national purpose of the founding toward the threat of disunion. Drawn from new sources; Alan Taylor's riveting narrative re-creates the events that inspired black Virginians; haunted slaveholders; and set the nation on a new and dangerous course. 35 illustrations; 4 maps
#27702 in Books Edmund S Morgan 2003-10-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 1.30 x 6.20l; 1.43 #File Name: 039332494X464 pagesAmerican Slavery American Freedom
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent insights into economics of racism!By J. FriedMorgan adds understanding through scholarship. His footnotes are extensive and accurate. He surprises with a correlation between the poor of England and Virginia's negro slaves.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Looking at Yesterday and Seeing Today Through A Diiferent FrameBy fredric leighVery interesting and fascinating thesis; i.e.; the acceptance of slavery was essential to the lower class whites accepting the freedom that the privileged class allowed them to have. After all; someone was lower than the lowest white man and even he could aspire to owning 50 acres and perhaps buy a slave or two; and one day be able to vote. Slavery of the Blacks secured the privilege of the Whites. Additionally; the author provides an interesting history of the class tensions among Whites_ a tension lessened somewhat by slavery.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Tear jerkerBy JerretReally good book. Made me cry.
