In 1792; nearly 1;200 freed American slaves crossed the Atlantic and established themselves in Freetown; West Africa; a community dedicated to anti-slavery and opposed to the African chieftain hierarchy that was tied to slavery. Thus began an unprecedented movement with critical long-term effects on the evolution of social; religious; and political institutions in modern Africa.Lamin Sanneh's engrossing book narrates the story of freed slaves who led efforts to abolish the slave trade by attacking its base operation: the capture and sale of people by African chiefs. Sanneh's protagonists set out to establish in West Africa colonies founded on equal rights and opportunity for personal enterprise; communities that would be havens for ex-slaves and an example to the rest of Africa. Among the most striking of these leaders is the Nigerian Samuel Ajayi Crowther; a recaptured slave who joined a colony in Sierra Leone and subsequently established satellite communities in Nigeria. The ex-slave repatriates brought with them an evangelical Christianity that encouraged individual spirituality--a revolutionary vision in a land where European missionaries had long assumed they could Christianize the whole society by converting chiefs and rulers.Tracking this potent African American anti-slavery and democratizing movement through the nineteenth century; Lamin Sanneh draws a clear picture of the religious grounding of its conflict with the traditional chieftain authorities. His study recounts a crucial development in the history of West Africa.
#562567 in Books A J Langguth 1989-03-15 1989-03-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.44 x 1.60 x 5.50l; 1.78 #File Name: 0671675621640 pagesPatriots
Review
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. A Compelling and Informative Book on the American RevolutionBy SteveThis is a well written book that held my interest throughout. Like a good novel; it tells a story that kept me turning to the next pages to find out "what happened." The story; in this case; involves the events that led up to the American Revolution; starting with James Otis's opposition to the writs of assistance in 1761 and ending with George Washington's farewell to his troops in 1783.In between; A. J. Langguth (a professor of journalism; who wrote Our Vietnam) generally does a masterful job of telling us about the dynamic; brave; sometimes vain; and often brilliant leaders (most notably; Samuel and John Adams; John Hancock; Patrick Henry; Thomas Jefferson; Thomas Jefferson; Thomas Paine; Joseph Warren; and Benjamin Franklin); who rebelled against the mother country. And there are also the not so great; who made terrible mistakes on the battlefield (Charles Lee) or switched to the other side (Benedict Arnold).Langguth also does a very good job in describing the key battles of the war; and the strategy of both sides. The details provided are excellent: The Minute Men and their duck-hunting rifles; picking off British troops withdrawing from Concord; John Stark's men hiding behind hay and stones to stop William Howe's flanking manuever at Breed's Hill; Washington's nine-hour crossing of the Delaware River; ending at 3 AM and his defeat of the Hessians at Trenton when the enemy commander did not bother to read a note of warning from a loyalist; Horatio Gates's victory at Saratoga; when British forces led by John Burgoyne were trapped and attacked from three sides; von Steuben ordering the American soldiers to place kitchens and latrines at opposite sides of their camps; Washington begging his troops to stay for six more weeks for ten dollars in hard money in the winter of 1776; sentries at Valley Forge standing barefoot inside their hats in December 1777.This book not only fascinated me by providing such details; but also answered a lot of the questions I had about the war for independence; and what led up to it: What was the Stamp Act? How did groups of farmers and tradesmen defeat the British Empire? What tactics did Washington and his generals employ to defeat tens of thousands of British and Hessian troops? What role did the French play? What exactly did Sam Adams and others do to move us towards independence? How many people were loyalists and what part did they play in the events? This book answered all of these questions; and more. The only real problem I had with the book was that the fighting in the South was not covered adequately; I believe; along with leaders like Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter.The heroes are heroic (especially Washington); and deservedly so; but we also read about their less-than-admirable qualities. There is also the factor of the mistakes made by opponents. The author does not devote much attention to social; economic; racial; and legal trends and effects. That is not his purpose. A good; little book to read on these matters is The American Revolution: A History by Gordon S. Wood.Patriots by A. J. Langguth is an excellent; journalistic account (mainly chronological) of this period in American history. I am recommending it because it brings the leaders and events that founded our country to life; in a clear and interesting way.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Good ReadBy R. HanesExcellent read for those interested in the behind the scene personalities of the Patriots who got this nation going.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This book is the best I have ever read about the making of AmericaBy Paul AllenThis book is the best I have ever read about the making of America. Reads like a good novel. So good that I bought another for a friend. It illuminates many facts that I never knew about the beginning of our country.Read it. You will love it.
