In December 1860; South Carolinians voted to abandon the Union; sparking the deadliest war in American history. Led by a proslavery movement that viewed Abraham Lincoln’s place at the helm of the federal government as a real and present danger to the security of the South; southerners―both slaveholders and nonslaveholders―willingly risked civil war by seceding from the United States. Radical proslavery activists contended that without defending slavery’s westward expansion American planters would; like their former counterparts in the West Indies; become greatly outnumbered by those they enslaved. The result would transform the South into a mere colony within the federal government and make white southerners reliant on antislavery outsiders for protection of their personal safety and wealth. Faith in American exceptionalism played an important role in the reasoning of the antebellum American public; shaping how those in both the free and slave states viewed the world. Questions about who might share the bounty of the exceptional nature of the country became the battleground over which Americans fought; first with words; then with guns. Carl Lawrence Paulus’s The Slaveholding Crisis examines how; due to the fear of insurrection by the enslaved; southerners created their own version of American exceptionalism―one that placed the perpetuation of slavery at its forefront. Feeling a loss of power in the years before the Civil War; the planter elite no longer saw the Union; as a whole; fulfilling that vision of exceptionalism. As a result; Paulus contends; slaveholders and nonslaveholding southerners believed that the white South could anticipate racial conflict and brutal warfare. This narrative postulated that limiting slavery’s expansion within the Union was a riskier proposition than fighting a war of secession. In the end; Paulus argues; by insisting that the new party in control of the federal government promoted this very insurrection; the planter elite gained enough popular support to create the Confederate States of America. In doing so; they established a thoroughly proslavery; modern state with the military capability to quell massive resistance by the enslaved; expand its territorial borders; and war against the forces of the Atlantic antislavery movement.
#500142 in Books Young Jason R 2011-02-11 2011-02-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.90 x .60 x 5.90l; .80 #File Name: 0807137197272 pagesRituals of Resistance African Atlantic Religion in Kongo and the Lowcountry South in the Era of Slavery
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Resistance is not FutileBy Derric (Rau Khu) Moore author of MAA AANKH vol.I; Kamta: A Practical Kamitic Path for Obtaining Power and Maa: A Guide to the Kamitic Way for PersonalThis is one of those books that should be required reading but it isn't because it dispels the common myths and misconceptions that early African Americans just accepted their lot as slaves. The truth is; our ancestors fought against slavery in every way possible. Being outnumbered by Euro-Americans; in a foreign land; surrounded by Protestants made it impossible for early African Americans to resist slavery as their kin had done in the Caribbean and South America. They were however able to create and develop their own unique religion and tradition due to living in a segregated society. This unique influence was derived from the Kongo society of West-Central Africa.As several authors are beginning to understand; contrary to popular belief not every African brought to the Americas were forced or unfamiliar with Christianity. When the Portuguese first encountered the Kongo people (before the Transatlantic Slave Trade had begun); the Kongo people became interested in Christianity. They weren't forced into it. They adopted it because it was similar to their own traditional religious beliefs. A number of years later; after the Portuguese entered into the international trade of slaves; is when the Kongo people begin to resist the European religion. But; by that time it was too late; because most of the Kongo people had already been exposed to it and their human resources were depleting. So when they were brought to North America; they were able to modify the religion to fit their purpose and make it into a tool of resistance.The subject is a very fascinating one and this is a very compelling and well researched book; which served as a very good references for my own research and writing; MAA AANKH: Finding God the Afro-American Spiritual Way; by Honoring the Ancestors and Guardian Spirits. I highly recommend this work for those who want a better understanding of religious experience of early African Americans.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent resourceBy Dianne M. DanielsLearning so much by using this book in my class from Starr King School for the Ministry - most excellent source of information.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This is a Must read for African Americans!By RobinAn excellent scholarly work!
