★★★★★ 5
A Masterpiece by the most Influential Historian of the 20th Century
Format: Paperback
The late Edmund Morgan may very well have been the most influential American historian of the 20th century. So much of what he wrote has had a definitive impact on the field of American history that he literally stands above the rest of his peers. Few historians can claim to have changed how we view the founding of America, and Morgan is one of that very select company. In American Slavery, American Freedom Morgan managed to alter the relationship of slavery to America. While he was primarily writing about colonial Virginia, he explored the issue of slavery and illustrated how the colonial Virginians used racism to develop the form of chattel slavery that rose here in the colonies during the 17th century.
Often as we teach our history courses our students will invariably answer the question about why people came to the colonies with the statement, "People wanted to be free." Yet, we know from the records that most people who came to Virginia were anything but free. The facts are there and have always been there proving this, yet few speak about it because it conflicts with American heritage. Morgan shattered that illusion in this book. He showed that colonial Virginia was the exact opposite of freedom and that many people in the 17th century were forced to go there. In addition he showed how thousands of people died in Virginia from various causes during the first half of the century.
He also investigated the role of class in colonial Virginia and how those in power sought to use the colonial government to retain that power for themselves and similar people. At times this ran contrary to what the English monarchs wanted in their colonies, but the upper class of Virginia managed to overcome obstacles and stay in power. Morgan did this by examining the records of the colony including the laws as they were enacted. He found that many laws were designed to help those with money at the expense of those without. He also found where the laws changed and became race conscious which he interpreted as the sign that the upper class was making a clear distinction between white and black in order to create the classic Us vs. Them division. This division would be the racist wedge used to keep poor whites of the lower class from associating with the blacks of any class and to reinforce the status of slavery on all blacks.
This book won the Francis Parkman award and is regarded as an American history classic. One of the great things about Morgan was that his writing was wonderful and academic at the same time. Notes are given to the reader on each page via footnotes and reveal the great depth of research that Morgan used to develop this topic. It is a must read even today for anyone studying the history of Virginia. It is also a wonderful example of what a history book should be in its style and literary quality. Morgan's appendix does make one wonder what would have happened had he developed a quantification theory to go with his topic. The data results would probably have reinforced his conclusion. The appendix is an early use of that type of approach and shows that Morgan's conclusion would have been validated by quantification.
All in all this book is a must read for any scholar of Virginia, colonial America, or slavery. Reading it will help the student develop a deeper contextual feeling for how colonial Virginia developed and a greater understanding as to why certain things in this country came about. The theme of racism has been existent in America for centuries and Morgan showed us exactly why that was. This book is a must have in my collection and many others for its high quality of research.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2013
