Unburdened By Conscience by Anthony W. Neal
By Beverly Jackson • Sep 21st, 2011 • Category: Book Review 2011 •
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Histories are written by the victors and often use their political dominance to present history in favor of their own propaganda. This does a disfavor to the historical record as a more complete truth is not available. Unburdened By Conscience by Anthony W. Neal seeks to present another viewpoint on American slavery – dispelling a number of common assumptions many have learned regarding the institution of slavery in the United States.
This well-researched book is divided into four sections. The first part looks at the historiography of slavery and the brutality committed against enslaved people. Neal provides the evidence that slavery was not a “benign” institution as presented by many prominent historians. Understanding how language was used by pro-slavery apologist was enlightening and shows how this misinformed the general public. The second part discusses a painful area usually not explored – the master-on-slave rape and slave breeding. When reading this section I sometimes had to stop and take a breath just to get away from the details of the horrifying picture, but I was lured back to get the full horrific picture. The third section looks at breakup of slave families and marital unions. Hearing from ex-slaves adds to the discussion on how slavery intentionally set out to dehumanize enslaved people. The final part looks at the aftermath of slavery in more recent history.
Neal fulfills his promise to provide a more complete understand of slavery, its affect on enslaved persons and why many historians felt the need to humanize the institution of slavery. This book exposes the darker and grim aspects of human behavior that was reinforced by individual power as a slave owner, a collective community power and legal laws that supported these inhuman acts. The organization of the book, along with the extensive notes at the end of each chapter, makes this book a valuable source for both the lay reader and a student of history. This book should be available in academic and public libraries for all who wish to understand the history of the United States.
I recommend this book to readers who are interested in the history of the United States. An honest discussion of American history cannot take place until the full picture of slavery is presented.
This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.
Reviewed by Beverly
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Beverly Jackson is is a recent transplant to the Charlotte, North Carolina area. She is an avid reader, and there are very few times you will catch her without a book. Several years ago, she changed her dining room into a library with wall to ceiling bookshelves. She loves sharing her enthusiasm for reading with others and writing book reviews is a way she shares her thoughts. For the last twenty years, she has worked in the technology field for an international consulting firm, but is easing her way into retirement. Her biggest accomplishment is raising two daughters to be productive citizens of society, and they have blessed her with five wonderful grandchildren. Some of her other interest are traveling, watching sports and practicing yoga. And her latest toy is her Kindle which allows her to carry around her library in her purse.
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History seems interesting subject to me. It is because I could be able to understand past tradition, culture and records of a place through studying their history. The book seems interesting since it deals with broad topic of slavery. Maybe I would be enlightened on how slavery evolved in the previous times.
Stephan Hilson´s last [type] ..Comparateur de forfaits mobiles