The Slave Ship: A Human History

The Slave Ship: A Human History
by Marcus Rediker

The Slave Ship: A Human History
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Book Summary Information

Author: Marcus Rediker
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-09-30
ISBN: 0143114255
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Book Reviews of The Slave Ship: A Human History

Book Review: the most magnificent human drama
Summary: 5 Stars

The author calls slavery "the most magnificent human drama". After reading this book, it's easy to understand where he's coming from with the statement. The interesting thing about it is that he only focused on one aspect of slavery... the slave ship. This is defininately one of the best books I've ever read on the subject. Everything is well documented. Some information is taken from the personal journals of captains, seaman and former slaves.

Marcus Rediker wrote one of the most detailed histories of slavery I've ever read. He covers all aspects of the maritime history of slavery. He wrote about the different torture methods the captains used on slaves as well as seaman. He wrote about the horrid conditions both slaves and seamans had to endure on the ships. The implements of torture including the infamous cat-o-nine tails which lacerates the flesh. The ugly method of pickling a slave, cases of outright murder and bloody insurrections were covered in detail. The author didn't talk about this, but one can only imagine the profound psychological damage done to the slaves before arriving in the new world. I wonder if a book has ever been written on such a subject??

This is a critically important book to read for all Americans. Africans were packed on slave ships like sardines a few hundred years ago based on economic greed. Later the first African-American president is elected who is entrusted with helping the nation recover from one of the worse financial crises in the nation's history. This definately gives us a clear perspective on the nature of man and our country in general.

Summary of The Slave Ship: A Human History

In this widely praised history of an infamous institution, award-winning scholar Marcus Rediker shines a light into the darkest corners of the British and American slave ships of the eighteenth century. Drawing on thirty years of research in maritime archives, court records, diaries, and firsthand accounts, The Slave Ship is riveting and sobering in its revelations, reconstructing in chilling detail a world nearly lost to history: the ?floating dungeons? at the forefront of the birth of African American culture.

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