Perhaps no event in American history arouses more impassioned debate than the abolition of slavery. Answers to basic questions about who ended slavery; how; and why remain fiercely contested more than a century and a half after the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. In The Long Emancipation; Ira Berlin draws upon decades of study to offer a framework for understanding slavery’s demise in the United States. Freedom was not achieved in a moment; and emancipation was not an occasion but a near-century-long process―a shifting but persistent struggle that involved thousands of men and women.Berlin teases out the distinct characteristics of emancipation; weaving them into a larger narrative of the meaning of American freedom. The most important factor was the will to survive and the enduring resistance of enslaved black people themselves. In striving for emancipation; they were also the first to raise the crucial question of their future status. If they were no longer slaves; what would they be? African Americans provided the answer; drawing on ideals articulated in the Declaration of Independence and precepts of evangelical Christianity. Freedom was their inalienable right in a post-slavery society; for nothing seemed more natural to people of color than the idea that all Americans should be equal.African Americans were not naive about the price of their idealism. Just as slavery was an institution initiated and maintained by violence; undoing slavery also required violence. Freedom could be achieved only through generations of long and brutal struggle.
#1023395 in Books Faisal Devji 2013-09-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 6.00 x 1.00l; 1.02 #File Name: 0674072677288 pagesMuslim Zion
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A must read for any student of current affairsBy Nasim BegExcellent analysis of the emergence and current state of Pakistan and pan Islamism2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good Sound Study of Pakistan.By Mr. D. J. WalfordI enjoyed Mr. Devji's book very much; although I had to concentrate hard. Muslim Zion is a complex and intellectual assessment of Pakistan and her foundation as a nation. A foundation which has much in common with that of Israel; hence the title. This is a very interesting and fascinating analysis and I was impressed with the author's conclusions. Pakistan is a complex and contradictory nation and certainly one which was a product of it's time in the immediate post-War world. If you want to know about Pakistan then you should invest in Muslim Zion.According to the author; Pakistan is a paradox; a country which rejects history and territory in favour of a 'homeland'. Yet this homeland itself is a nation state with historical roots in Punjab; Bulochistan; Sindh and also Kashmir. Pakistan is nation established on the sole basis of religion (just like Israel). Because of this; Pakistan rejects the more traditional nation state concepts such as 'blood and soil'; which tended to characterise traditional forms of nationalism in Europe. Indeed; Devji makes many parallels between this Muslim Nationalism and Zionism; claiming that there is significant similarity in the aims of both.Initially; the concept of a Muslim homeland developed out of the ideas of the Muslim philosopher Mohammed Iqbal. Iqbal was concerned for the fate of India's Muslims and was in favour of recognition of a Muslim province in any future independent Indian nation. These ideas fermented and were taken up by the secular Muslim politician Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Jinnah and his Indian Muslim League were to ultimately advance these ideas and declare at the 1940 Lahore Convention the desired aim of a separate Muslim nation.Mr. Devji makes a good case for Pakistan as a political idea. Further to what's written above; he explores fears amongst the Muslim leaders of India of Muslims becoming a minority in a Hindu dominated Indian nation; comparisons with the struggles of other Indian minorities such as the Dalit peoples (the 'Untouchables'); and a belief that Pakistan would not only be a home for India's Muslims but Muslims across the world.However; one of the most interesting aspects of the work is how the author describes Pakistan as a bundle of contradictions. Jinnah; a leader of Muslim independence who was himself a secular Muslim; and even a little contemptuous of the more devout worshipers of Allah. A nation state that rejects the concept of history and territory; yet functions as a nation. How the Muslim basis for its existence failed to inspire a codified concept of worship within Pakistan; leading to a generic Sunni/Shia mix of practice. The comparisons of Muslim Nationalism with Zionism and yet the refusal of successive Pakistani governments to recognise the nation of Israel.Mr. Devji's work is fascinating yet complex. This is a serious study on the origins of Pakistan as both a nation and a political idea. One would suggest they they are one and the same. I understand more about Pakistan now than I did before I read the book; and I'm no stranger to intelligence on the country. This is a core work for scholars of Pakistan.0 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Interesting Postmodern ParallelBy Harvey RosenwasserThis book has an interesting perspective on the seemingly unlikely parallel between Israel as an ancestral home for Jews and Pakistan as a home for Muslims. It will probably appeal to academics since it is written is a postmodern style of writing. The author writes well; but reading it is tough slogging.
