Here are some books that you may find useful during your studies. Search the Bennies catalogue Oliver for more, or browse the Non-fiction collection NFS.
Slavery and the slave trade by 
Slavery in what became the United States probably began with the arrival of "20 and odd" enslaved Africans to the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. It officially ended with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.
Slavery began to flourish in the U.S. at the end of the 18th century with Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin. Serious objections to slavery began as early as 1831 and the abolitionist movement in the North grew quickly. Between Lincoln's election and his inauguration, 7 southern States seceded from the Union. The expected war began with the attack on fort Sumter.
Slavery began to flourish in the U.S. at the end of the 18th century with Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin. Serious objections to slavery began as early as 1831 and the abolitionist movement in the North grew quickly. Between Lincoln's election and his inauguration, 7 southern States seceded from the Union. The expected war began with the attack on fort Sumter.
Abraham Lincoln did not issue the Emancipation Proclamation until January 1, 1863, nearly two years into the war. Why didn't he free the slaves as soon as the war began?
John will talk about what life was like for a slave in the 19th century United States, and how slaves resisted oppression, to the degree that was possible. We'll hear about cotton plantations, violent punishment of slaves, day to day slave life, and slave rebellions. Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, and Whipped Peter all make an appearance. Slavery as an institution is arguably the darkest part of America's history, and we're still dealing with its aftermath 150 years after it ended.
Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco. Slavery was practiced throughout the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, and African-American slaves helped build the economic foundations of the new nation.
