ebooks The First Crusade: A New History by Thomas Asbridge in History

Description

Originating with the birth of the nation itself; in many respects; the story of the domestic slave trade is also the story of the early United States. While an external traffic in slaves had always been present; following the American Revolution this was replaced by a far more vibrant internal trade. Most importantly; an interregional commerce in slaves developed that turned human property into one of the most valuable forms of investment in the country; second only to land. In fact; this form of property became so valuable that when threatened with its ultimate extinction in 1860; southern slave owners believed they had little alternative but to leave the Union. Therefore; while the interregional trade produced great wealth for many people; and the nation; it also helped to tear the country apart. The domestic slave trade likewise played a fundamental role in antebellum American society. Led by professional traders; who greatly resembled northern entrepreneurs; this traffic was a central component in the market revolution of the early nineteenth century. In addition; the development of an extensive local trade meant that the domestic trade; in all its configurations; was a prominent feature in southern life. Yet; this indispensable part of the slave system also raised many troubling questions. For those outside the South; it affected their impression of both the region and the new nation. For slaveholders; it proved to be the most difficult part of their institution to defend. And for those who found themselves commodities in this trade; it was something that needed to be resisted at all costs. Carry Me Back restores the domestic slave trade to the prominent place that it deserves in early American history; exposing the many complexities of southern slavery and antebellum American life.