Greatest Emancipations: How the West Abolished Slavery

"For thousands of years, slavery went unchallenged in principle. Then in a single century, slavery was abolished and more than seven million slaves were freed throughout the Western hemisphere. The scope and speed of this transformation makes it one of the most amazing feats in modern history. Greatest Emancipations tells this fascinating story, focusing on abolitionists in areas where slavery was most entrenched: Haiti, the British Caribbean, the United States, Cuba, and Brazil." "Jim Powell takes us from the beginnings of the abolitionist movement through the processes, the battles, the final victory of emancipation, and the incredible impact of its aftermath. This comprehensive account places what we know of the American abolitionist struggle in the context of the rest of the Western world, examining the horror and pervasiveness of the institution of slavery and celebrating the conviction and hard work of the brave men and women who fought to eradicate it. Ultimately, Powell argues, the more violence was involved in the emancipation process, the worse the outcomes were, making a provocative case for peaceful antislavery strategies."--Jacket.