Thirty years before Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation; the antislavery movement won its first victory in the British Parliament. On August 1; 1834; the Abolition of Slavery Bill took effect; ending colonial slavery throughout the British Empire. Over the next three decades; "August First Day;" also known as "West India Day" and "Emancipation Day;" became the most important annual celebration of emancipation among people of African descent in the northern United States; the British Caribbean; Canada West; and the United Kingdom and played a critical role in popular mobilization against American slavery. In Rites of August First; J. R. KerrRitchie provides the first detailed analysis of the origins; nature; and consequences of this important commemoration that helped to shape the age of AngloAmerican emancipation. Combining social; cultural; and political history; KerrRitchie discusses the ideological and cultural representations of August First Day in print; oratory; and visual images. Spanning the Western hemisphere; KerrRitchie successfully unravels the cultural politics of emancipation celebrations; analyzing the social practices informed by public ritual; symbol; and spectacle designed to elicit feelings of common identity among blacks in the Atlantic World. Rites of August First shows how and why the commemorative events changed between British emancipation and the freeing of slaves in the United States a generation later; while also examining the connections among local; regional; and international commemorations. While shedding light on an important black institution that has been long ignored; Rites of August First also contributes to the broader study of emancipation and black Atlantic identity. Its transnational approach challenges local and national narratives that have largely shaped previous investigations of these questions. KerrRitchie shows how culture and community were truly political at this important historical moment and; most broadly; how politics and culture converge and profoundly influence each other. AUTHOR BIO: J. R. KerrRitchie is an associate professor of history at Howard University in Washington; D.C.; and the author of Freedpeople in the Tobacco South: Virginia; 1860–1900.
#2681870 in Books Louisiana State Univ Pr 2001-05-01 2001-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.30 x .90 x 6.34l; 1.17 #File Name: 0807125938216 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Follow a Western Soldier:By Todd E. NewmanI always have trouble being critical of someone's diary. I ask myself; "How can I rank a diary?". I decided to rank this diary in comparison to other diaries I have read and decided it was worth three stars instead of five. Wiley's writing is at times quite brief; spelling; grammar; punctuation and detail fall short in comparison to other soldier accounts. Though valuable in understanding soldier thought and lifestyle; Wiley's descriptions are vague; hard to follow and at times the book feels sluggish. Author Terrence Winschel does help out Wiley's writing by prepping the reader for various chapters and the references sometimes to clear up some confusion as to time; place or subject matter. Wiley's diary follows him from his muster into service for the 77th Illinois until his final discharge 3 years later in 1865. Wiley suffers from health problems through out the book and misses some battles; is involved in skirmishes; the Vicksburg Campaign and many other campaigns through out Mississippi; Louisiana and Tennessee. His battle descriptions are quite vague and some of the soldier living details I was hoping to read about where not present. Overall; I have read better books on the subject although I have to treasure the opportunity to be able to read the book as it does capture the soldier life at times and brings more life to understanding bits and pieces of soldering in the western theatre.
