Review: Rough Crossings
Redactionele recensie - Kirkus ReviewsWas the England of King George less racist than the America of George Washington? Yes, for which reason thousands of Africans and African-Americans cast their lot with England when revolution came. "All men are created equal"—but not in America. As Schama (A History of Britain, 2001, etc.) notes in this lucid history, though the Americans made pious noises about the indignity of slavery, they blamed the trade on the crown even as England was all but done with slavery. Indeed, a common scare tactic used during the Revolution was claiming that King George had ordered the slaves to rise up against their American masters, which set American hearts pounding and militia to mustering. Meanwhile, runaway slaves in England benefited from the largess of crown courts and the widespread (though by no means universal) view that "all subjects in the land, irrespective of rank, were equally subject to the king's laws and equally entitled to his protection." Word soon filtered back to America, and freedmen and slaves alike swarmed to join the British Army, where they were put "on the march against America and slavery" and performed heroically at places like Fort Murray and Charleston. After the Revolution, British reformers worked to establish colonies of black refugees, as in Sierra Leone, while social and political pressures finally forced Thomas Jefferson to sign a "bill outlawing the importation of slaves" in 1807—only to be trumped by Britain, which abolished slavery altogether. An important contribution to the history of the Revolution, and of slavery in America.
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Bill Baxter - GoodreadsBrilliant. Mr. Schamas use of the language is second to none: bright and engaging. He is fearless in his polemic and challenges his readers with facts as hard as diamonds. As an American I welcomed his insight into avenues that were sorely missed by Thomas Jefferson et al. Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Edwinnaarden - GoodreadsI think I would give this book 3.5, I learned a lot so from that standpoint a 4, but the beginning dragged on a bit. Maybe it's the subject matter but I prefered Simon Schama's book The Embarrassment ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Elizabeth - GoodreadsSomehow I've not read Simon Schama yet. Now I have...and now I will have to live to be 125 to read his other books. He is a detailed, engaging author. The subtitle of this book begins to give the ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Josh - GoodreadsThe story Schama tells in this book is both dense and highly interesting. There are few historians who could make the story as interesting as it is when Schama tells it. It's the story of Granville ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Jennie - GoodreadsDuring the American Revolution, British officials issued an emancipation proclamation of their own to slaves belonging to rebel colonists: take up arms for the British, and in return we'll give you ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Val Sanford - GoodreadsSimon Schama's retelling of the creation and decimation of the Sierra Leone colony in the 1780's is a heartbreaking yet inspiring tale of the desire for freedom by former American slaves as they ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Jane Walker - GoodreadsA superb book. It's a period I only recently became interested in, but the subject of what happened to the black slaves caught up in the American War of Independence is one no other writer, as far as ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Dennis Hidalgo - GoodreadsSchama, a well-known historian, jumped ships to write a highly evocative and detailed History of Black Atlantic. He did so after his immense contribution with _A History of Britain_. It is arguably a ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution
Gebruikersrecensie - Kathleen - GoodreadsPresents a slice of early American history we certainly aren't exposed to in school. Compelling story. The use of primary sources added a lot to the texture of the story. Volledige recensie lezen
