Somewhat More Independent by Shane White

Product Details

Synopsis

Shane White creatively uses a remarkable array of primary sources—census data, tax lists, city directories, diaries, newspapers and magazines, and courtroom testimony—to reconstruct the content and context of the slave's world in New York and its environs during the revolutionary and early republic periods. White explores, among many things, the demography of slavery, the decline of the institution during and after the Revolution, racial attitudes, acculturation, and free blacks' "creative adaptation to an often hostile world."

Booknews

White focuses on the transition from slavery to freedom in New York, which with New Jersey was more reliant on slave labor than any other northern colony. He traces the demographic patterns of the city's slaves and slaveowners, charts the stages of the institution's decline, shows how blacks were perceived by the white society, describes the role of free blacks, and portrays aspects of black retentions in the New World. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Biography

Shane White is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Sydney, Australia.