DOC Slavery; Freedom; and Abolition in Latin America and the Atlantic World (Diálogos Series) by Christopher Schmidt-Nowara in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A holistic approach to a complex topic. Schmidt-Nowara's succinct ...By CustomerA holistic approach to a complex topic. Schmidt-Nowara's succinct and clear presentation gives historians of all levels the opportunity to delve into the topic of New Word slavery.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great Reading in Latin American SlaveryBy intriguedThis is a great read to cover slavery in colonial and 19th century Latin America. It is a perfect compliment to studies in New World slavery and the Colonial-Atlantic world. It is shorter than other books on the same topic; so it doesn't feel laborious reading it either.3 of 7 people found the following review helpful. How Long Would Slavery Lasted in U.S.A.'.....IF..........?By Ron BraithwaiteI purchased and read this book because of a debate. I argued; "Even had there been no Confederate defeat and; even had there been no Emancipation Proclamation; Southern slavery would have ended during the Nineteenth Century and probably before 1885." My opponent argued; "No. Southern society was unique and slavery would have persisted indefinitely."I argued that slavery persisted in Brazil and Cuba until the late 1880 but ended without the enormous slaughter and social disruption of a massive Civil War supposedly waged to end slavery [four years of war; 620;000 military deaths; an unknown number of civilian deaths; decimation of a region and a "reconstruction" that fostered even additional regional hatred and suspicion]. My opponent asked me how many slaves were liberated in Brazil in the 1880s? I had no exact number; at which point my opponent claimed he won the argument [?].So I read this book trying to get some numbers which I never quite found but it looks like a little less than half of Brazilians were slaves in 1888 which may have totaled a little more than two million people. I don't think these statistics are particularly important after 124 years. More important to me is the parallel. Southern slavery ended abruptly with military defeat and we will never know how the institution of slavery might have evolved had the Confederacy proved successful in gaining independence. The dead will have to bury their dead.Brazil is probably as close of an approximation as we can find. In Brazil; abolition didn't come quick or easy. There were fits and starts and substantial resistance on the part of moneyed planter; middle-class whites; freed men; mulattoes and escaped slaves. As slavery died out here-and-there in the other Latin countries; it grew even stronger--at least in numbers of slaves held--in Brazil. Like the invention of the cotton gin; which made cotton culture more profitable in the American South; technological innovations like railroads and the steam engine made slavery more profitable in Brazil. Finally; however; weakened by ideas of the enlightenment along with internal dissent and conflict; the institution of slavery started to fall one piece at a time. The regime recognized the inevitable by signing articles of emancipation in 1888. The whole process was messy. There was some bloodshed but there was no secessionist movement and no catastrophic Civil War.Similarities and differences? In Brazil; there were far more freed slaves than in the American South. Blacks--generally speaking--had more opportunity for upward mobility. On the other hand; there is every reason to believe that Brazilian [and most Latin] slavery was more brutal and lethal than in the the American South. In North America; slave populations expanded even following abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Latin American--and Brazilian--countries consumed slaves i.e. slave numbers had to be continuously replenished by importation.Also; the Catholic religion was generally passive about black slavery. The Protestant religions; especially prominent in Britain and North America; were increasingly abolitionist. This especially applied to the Quakers; 'Puritans'; and Methodists but affected the Baptists; as well. These religions were the flashpoint of abolitionism in the North America.So; what MIGHT have happened in an independent Confederacy? Slavery would have continued for a time but would have inevitably weakened under the influence of foreign immigration [cheap labor] and the moral opposition to slavery in their own churches. I think this last is especially important. The world and attitudes were changing and were bound to change more rapidly in an independent Confederacy [Protestant Anglo-Scot] than in Brazil. After reading this book and considering the possibilities; I believe more strongly that slavery would have ended in an independent Confederate nation earlier than Brazil.Of course; it can be argued that 20 more years of slavery would have been terrible as; indeed; it would have been. The question is; would it have been worse than the carnage; aftermath and bitterness of a great civil war?