Today the Brazilian state of São Paulo is one of the world’s most advanced agricultural; industrial; and urbanized regions. Its historical evolution; however; is poorly understood. Most scholarly attention has been paid to the period after 1850; when coffee rose to economic dominance; or to the period since 1880; when large-scale European immigration turned the city of São Paulo into one of the largest metropolises in the world. This book thus provides the first comprehensive portrait of the economy and people of São Paulo during the critical transition from the traditional eighteenth-century colonial world to the modernizing world of the nineteenth century. The result is a major rethinking of the history of early slavery in Brazil―it shows that; contrary to previous beliefs; slavery was as deeply entrenched and exploited in São Paulo as elsewhere in Brazil; and that the state’s early economic growth (as the world’s leading coffee-producing region after 1850) was made possible by an expanding African slave labor force. This raises many questions about São Paulo’s supposed “exceptionalism†and challenges the standard account of the state’s economic history; which has been strongly shaped by ideas of path dependence. In addition to studying the slave-owning class; the authors investigate the economic role of free whites and colored who did not own slaves; and compare São Paulo’s slave society and economy with other such regions in the Americas.
#1351930 in Books Andrew O Toole 2016-11-01Original language:English 9.33 x 1.02 x 6.16l; .0 #File Name: 0803299354272 pagesFight for Old DC George Preston Marshall the Integration of the Washington Redskins and the Rise of a New NFL
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. But the book is good in spite of this omissionBy RICHARD BEVERAGEI thought the book described Marshall and his life very well. It also provided insight on the role that Bert Bell played in publicizing the NFL during the Marshall years. The weakness that I saw in the book was the failure of the author to explain why Marshall was willing to employ black players after years of resistance. Was there a certain event that caused him to change his mind? This was never made clear. But the book is good in spite of this omission. Well written and a good read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Kevin W.great book for skins fans5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Great book on integration of a football teamBy LSmithThe Washington Redskins have had their share of recent controversy on social and racial issues but that is nothing new for the franchise. They were the last team in the National Football League to have an African-American player; mainly due to the hiring practices of their long-time owner George Preston Marshall. Andrew O’Toole penned this excellent book that details Marshall and his beliefs and business actions as well as the struggles of the Redskins team during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.While the book is not marketed as a biography; that is the best description as the reader will get an extensive look at the man who brought the Boston Braves to the nation’s capital. Also; the author is to be given credit for not focusing solely on the discriminatory practices of Marshall. Marshall was an innovator in professional football with rule changes and was able to get public funding for a brand new state-of-the-art stadium.However; this did not come without much inquiry into why the Redskins would not let black players suit up in the burgundy and gold. Marshall’s reasons that were made public did sound like poor excuses and rather than pile on the criticism; O’Toole writes about this in a matter-of-fact style that allows the reader to come to his or her own conclusions. Marshall is not made out to be an evil or despicable man; but is certainly not excused for his behavior by the author.This book also took a different approach to integration in a professional sport in that instead of focusing on the first black player to sign with the team; Bobby Mitchell; it instead focuses on the owner who won’t sign black players. Many other books on sports integration will concentrate on the struggles of the black player or players who made the groundbreaking appearances. O’Toole does write some about Mitchell and other black teammates who were the first black players for the Redskins in 1962; but their adventure is secondary to those of Marshall and his fight with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall; who threatened to pull back on support for the new stadium unless the Redskins could show they did not have discriminatory hiring practices.This book was one that I enjoyed reading and is one that anyone interested in the integration of professional football will want to add to his or her library. The words and pages flow quickly as the reader in placed inside the mind and thoughts of one of the most interesting and controversial owners of professional football.
