Slavery and Servitude in North America, 1607-1800: British Association for American Studies (Baas) Paperbacks

By combining attention to slavery with the discussion of servitude ! it provides a useful comparative demonstration of the range of unfree statuses in early America. Morgan's focus on the colonial and early national periods is welcome, and draws on the recent outpouring of scholarship that has given the study of American slavery a much-needed chronological dimension. Morgan provides an admirable and even-handed synthesis of what has become !an exploding field! Particularly impressive throughout are Morgan's clear overviews of each individual topic and his judicious introduction of various historiographic debates! Morgan bravely takes on every historiographic debate, but he does so with such facility that students will be easily engaged in the broader issues, and it is especially refreshing to see Morgan himself weigh in on some of these topics! [his] lucid presentation of complicated and contested topics makes this a distinctive contribution! a lengthy and substantive bibliographic essay, which will be of use not only to Morgan's student audience, anchors the book. By combining attention to slavery with the discussion of servitude ! it provides a useful comparative demonstration of the range of unfree statuses in early America. Morgan's focus on the colonial and early national periods is welcome, and draws on the recent outpouring of scholarship that has given the study of American slavery a much-needed chronological dimension. Morgan provides an admirable and even-handed synthesis of what has become !an exploding field! Particularly impressive throughout are Morgan's clear overviews of each individual topic and his judicious introduction of various historiographic debates! Morgan bravely takes on every historiographic debate, but he does so with such facility that students will be easily engaged in the broader issues, and it is especially refreshing to see Morgan himself weigh in on some of these topics! [his] lucid presentation of complicated and contested topics makes this a distinctive contribution! a lengthy and substantive bibliographic essay, which will be of use not only to Morgan's student audience, anchors the book.