Greatest emancipations
Subtitle: how the West abolished slavery
By: Jim Powell.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; St. Martin's Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 284
ISBN-13: 9780230605923
Subjects: Slaves -- Emancipation; Slavery
Description: "For thousands of years, slavery went unchallenged in principle. Then in a single century, slavery was abolished and more than seven million slaves were freed throughout the Western hemisphere. The scope and speed of this transformation makes it one of the most amazing feats in modern history. Greatest Emancipations tells this fascinating story, focusing on abolitionists in areas where slavery was most entrenched: Haiti, the British Caribbean, the United States, Cuba, and Brazil." "Jim Powell takes us from the beginnings of the abolitionist movement through the processes, the battles, the final victory of emancipation, and the incredible impact of its aftermath. This comprehensive account places what we know of the American abolitionist struggle in the context of the rest of the Western world, examining the horror and pervasiveness of the institution of slavery and celebrating the conviction and hard work of the brave men and women who fought to eradicate it. Ultimately, Powell argues, the more violence was involved in the emancipation process, the worse the outcomes were, making a provocative case for peaceful antislavery strategies."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-280) and index.
Table of contents: title: Could slavery be abolished?; title: Ideas that inspired the abolitionists; title: Haiti and the first successful slave revolt; title: British abolitionists' peaceful campaign against slavery; title: British diplomats and commanders struggle to stop the slave trade; title: The United States and the military strategy for abolition; title: Revolts, war and the collapse of Cuban slavery; title: Brazil's resourceful abolitionists; title: Courageous campaign against secret slavery in the Congo; title: How did it all work out?; title: Conclusion; title: Timeline of antislavery in the Western world.