Five Thousand Years of Slavery
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When they were too impoverished to raise their families, ancient Sumerians sold their children into bondage. Slave women in Rome faced never-ending household drudgery. The ninth-century Zanj were transported from East Africa to work the salt marshes of Iraq. Cotton pickers worked under terrible duress in the American South.
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Ancient history? Tragically, no. In our time, slavery wears many faces. James Kofi Annan's parents in Ghana sold him because they could not feed him. Beatrice Fernando had to work almost around the clock in Lebanon. Julia Gabriel was trafficked from Arizona to the cucumber fields of South Carolina.
Five Thousand Years of Slaveryprovides the suspense and emotional engagement of a great novel. It is an excellent resource with its comprehensive historical narrative, firsthand accounts, maps, archival photos, paintings and posters, an index, and suggestions for further reading. Much more than a reference work, it is a brilliant exploration of the worst - and the best - in human society.
Liked Five Thousand Years of Slavery? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked Five Thousand Years of Slavery. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
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The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood: A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt Shares nonfiction, slavery, history -
Shackles from the Deep: Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy Shares nonfiction, slavery, young adult
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5,000 Miles to Freedom: Ellen and William Craft's Flight from Slavery Shares nonfiction, slavery, young adult -
Slavery's Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons Shares nonfiction, slavery, history
“If you want more of the same (history about slavery), start with these.”
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Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation: A Three-Dimensional Interactive Book with Photographs and Documents from the Black Holocaust Exhibit
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Modern Medea: A Family Story of Slavery and Child-Murder from the Old South
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Cecelia and Fanny: The Remarkable Friendship Between an Escaped Slave and Her Former Mistress
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Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science
“If it was the slavery that hooked you, try one of these.”
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Capital Days: Michael Shiner's Journal and the Growth of Our Nation's Capital
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Now Is Your Time!: The African-American Struggle for Freedom
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Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion: Together With the Full Text of the So-Called "Confessions" of Nat Turner Made in Prison in 1831
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Africans in America: America's Journey through Slavery
