Take a photo of a barcode or cover
207 reviews for:
The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism
Edward E. Baptist
4.48 AVERAGE
207 reviews for:
The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism
Edward E. Baptist
4.48 AVERAGE
Fascinating, especially for it's psychoanalytic analysis in Chapter 4: Left Hand, though critical peer reviews have left me uncertain of is historiographic reliability.
An economic history of the US, The Half Has Never Been told traces primary sources that have been conveniently overlooked in order to perpetuate "states rights" narratives that seek to undersell the impact of enslavement of human beings on American Capitalism. This book focuses on all the areas that white supremacy has attempted to silence or ignore in regards to the torture of enslavement and the rebellions, insubordination, and resilience that continuously took place (unsurprisingly, white supremacy continuously tried to cover up and hide these narratives) while economically tracking the worldwide impact on American exported cotton and how the cotton industry through enslaved labor propelled the US economy into what it is today.
There is some talk of how unhelpful white abolitionists were in regards to countering this narrative, but I think there could have been more (See Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi for further details on this), but overall the economic and primary source focus of enslavement brings a humanizing perspective to this subject matter.
This book reminds me of my trip to the Museum of African American Culture and History and how the Black perspective of US history is extremely different than the perpetuated white supremacist narratives that inundate textbooks.
There is some talk of how unhelpful white abolitionists were in regards to countering this narrative, but I think there could have been more (See Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi for further details on this), but overall the economic and primary source focus of enslavement brings a humanizing perspective to this subject matter.
This book reminds me of my trip to the Museum of African American Culture and History and how the Black perspective of US history is extremely different than the perpetuated white supremacist narratives that inundate textbooks.
i had to read this for my english 1101 class and i really did not like it at all. cried multiple times over content and just the assignments i had with this book overall.
FIVE STAR BOOK! A realistic assessment and look at American slavery by the numbers, so to speak. It is well researched and framed in a way that conveys the scale and scope without compromising the individual tale and family impact. This book and information like it is what is missing from US history.
I will reread this book many times over my lifetime.
I will reread this book many times over my lifetime.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
John Brown Did Nothing Wrong.
Absolutely essential piece of scholarship ripping the veil off of southern slavery’s role in the creation of the modern global capitalist economy. Beautifully written and incredibly infuriating, moving, and informative.
Absolutely essential piece of scholarship ripping the veil off of southern slavery’s role in the creation of the modern global capitalist economy. Beautifully written and incredibly infuriating, moving, and informative.
Half of it was personal stories, which initially put me off because I was looking for something more harder, and with less guess work, but a lot of it was based off what people have actually said at the time (I think from the references). The other half is about how economically viable slavery was.
It was a little undirected, and I still have a lot of questions.
It was a little undirected, and I still have a lot of questions.
Important read focusing on how slavery forged American capitalism & financial success. Though he does include specific analyses of enslaved women, the lack of attention to female slaves’ reproductive labor and care work is a gaping hole. The other other half of the story is how enslaved women created more slaves and enabled them to work.
This should be required reading!!! An in-depth look at how America became the great country that it is because of the worst institution ever created - slavery.