James Oliver Horton is the Benjamin Banneker Professor of American
Studies & History at George Washington University, and Historian
Emeritus at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
Institution. Lois E. Horton is a Professor of History at George
Mason University. They are the authors of such classic studies as
Black Bostonians: Family Life and Community Struggle in the
Antebellum North, In Hope
of Liberty: Culture, Community and Protest Among Northern Free
Blacks, 1700-1860, and Hard Road to Freedom: The Story of African
America.
"This is an excellent addition to any Civil War or American history
library."--Richard Sauers, The Civil War News
"This is an excellent addition to any Civil War or American history
library."--Richard Sauers, The Civil War News
"This is a gripping tale of the African and African American
experience, full of drama, tragedy, and courage. The Hortons
demonstrate their wide mastery of the literature, telling the
tragic and triumphant story of the 'peculiar institution' through
the words and experiences of the people who lived it."--Henry Louis
Gates, Jr., Harvard University
"The Hortons have long been among the most distinguished scholars
working on the history of slavery, and their newest book exhibits
their signature qualities: wide research, interpretive balance and
crisp, accessible prose and a wealth of visual material. If the
book contains few revelations for specialists, it is apt to be
eye-opening for the popular audiences.... A remarkably
dispassionate book that never succumbs to pathos or
preachiness."--James T.
Campbell, Washington Post Book World
"The oft-told tale is made fresh through up-to-date slavery
scholarship, the extensive use of slave narratives and archival
photos and, especially, a focus on individual experience. The
well-known players (Attucks, Vesey, Tubman, Douglass) appear, but
so do the more anonymous ones--the planter's wife and the slave
driver share space with the abolitionist and the Confederate
soldier, and all are skillfully etched. As the Hortons chronicle
lives from freedom in
Africa to slavery in America and beyond, they tell an integral
American story, a tale not of juxtaposition but of edgy
oneness."--Publishers Weekly
"A terrific historical account of the roles and influence that the
black slaves made on the United States. The Hortons provide an
insightful look on how the slaves impacted all aspects of culture.
The authors pull no punches while making a solid logical argument
with strong supporting evidence that blacks were major players in
the colonial and birth of a nation America. Especially interesting
is the deep look at various roles and of unknown people.
Anecdotal
reciting and photographs augment this superb account of how much
the black slaves influenced America. Easy to read but difficult to
put down because the book is so engrossing, this is a fabulous
tome
that history buffs will take immense delight in as the Hortons make
their case quite interesting as they shatter preconceptions of
early American History with insightfulness."--Harriet Klausner, The
Midwest Book Review
"Shows how the history of American slavery and the history of the
American nation are intertwined and how the effects of slavery
continued well after its official abolition during the Civil War.
Rare illustrations and scrupulous attention to the viewpoint of the
slaves make this account especially interesting."--The Tampa
Tribune
"Dissects the incredible influences of the terrible moral fault in
our history."--The Nashville City Paper
"An excellent guide to an often difficult subject. Complete with
dozens of images, a chronology of events, a list of recommended
readings and website suggestions, Slavery and the Making of America
is an up-to-date book, which offers not only a strong central
storyline but also resources for further study."--North & South
"Ambitious.... Revises the historical record and overturns
long-held beliefs about the institution of slavery and what it has
meant to the country."--The Denver Post
"Brings the appalling history of slavery into an especially clear
focus by laying out of a fuller, more detailed historical/cultural
timeline."--The Stamford Advocate
Ask a Question About this Product More... |