“Catherine Higgs’s Chocolate Islands: Cocoa; Slavery; and Colonial Africa is an elegantly written; well-illustrated account of the ensuing investigations into this so-called new slavery in Africa orchestrated largely by Cadbury and the British Foreign Office. …[The] study resonates today; dealing; as it does; with the often tainted international origins of our later era of mass consumerism.†—American Historical Review In Chocolate Islands: Cocoa; Slavery; and Colonial Africa; Catherine Higgs traces the early-twentieth-century journey of the Englishman Joseph Burtt to the Portuguese colony of São Tomé and PrÃncipe—the chocolate islands—through Angola and Mozambique; and finally to British Southern Africa. Burtt had been hired by the chocolate firm Cadbury Brothers Limited to determine if the cocoa it was buying from the islands had been harvested by slave laborers forcibly recruited from Angola; an allegation that became one of the grand scandals of the early colonial era. Burtt spent six months on São Tomé and PrÃncipe and a year in Angola. His five-month march across Angola in 1906 took him from innocence and credulity to outrage and activism and ultimately helped change labor recruiting practices in colonial Africa. This beautifully written and engaging travel narrative draws on collections in Portugal; the United Kingdom; and Africa to explore British and Portuguese attitudes toward work; slavery; race; and imperialism. In a story still familiar a century after Burtt’s sojourn; Chocolate Islands reveals the idealism; naivety; and racism that shaped attitudes toward Africa; even among those who sought to improve the conditions of its workers.
#826713 in Books Bullock Charles S III 2015-05-15 2015-05-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.30 x 1.10 x 6.30l; .0 #File Name: 0820347345312 pagesThe Three Governors Controversy Skullduggery Machinations and the Decline of Georgia s Progressive Politics
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A new analysis of Georgia’s infamous electionBy Trey ShippGeorgia’s three Governors controversy has always been a gripping story; and the new details in this book makes the re-telling a great read. The authors set up the tale by giving the history of the players and describing the economic and social tension of the time. The 1946 election was the first Democratic primary in which African Americans could participate; and many counties used trickery and violence to keep blacks from voting. Then Gene Talmadge’s death after winning his comeback term for governor ignites the signature battle in a contest between growing progressive forces and the rural Talmadge machine that wanted to preserve the county unit system and whites-only primary.My favorite parts of the book are the stories of the participants recounting the parliamentary and legal tactics they used to outmaneuver their opponents. I also liked how the authors analyze the big picture and connect this fight to the political conflict that occurred as Georgia modernized after World War II. The story of those two months in 1947 paints a vivid picture of that conflict.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great combination of narrative history and political scienceBy Laura E. McCartyThis book sheds a new light on the changes that took place in post-World War II Georgia. It also points out examples of the old saying "the more things change; the more they remain the same".Lives up to the title in its narration of the "skullduggery and machinations"; with just enough use of the tools of political science to remain true to the authors' chosen discipline. Helpful maps for understanding the alliances and contesting factions that were at play during this era.The book also leaves me hungry for some new biographies of the players in the story; especially Herman Talmadge and Roy Harris.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy George HooksExcellent work--totally accurate; and interesting reading. I recommend it to any student of American Southern history !
