From Rebellion to Revolution: Afro-American Slave Revolts in the Making of the Modern World (Revised)

The great thing about this book is the exceptionally concise contextualization of N. American slavery within the wider hemisphere. Genovese makes clear the uniqueness of this system, which might be summed up as follows: no other slave society existed in the midst of so many white people, who were well-armed, backed by a stable government, and relatively immune to foriegn intrigue. While one might debate the number of slave revolts in the U.S., I think that Genovese is correct that given the huge odds against a successful slave revolt, it's remarkable that the relatively few revolts that did occur are striking acts of human courage. As far as the dialectical interpretation that Genovese pursues from "Roll, Jordan, Roll", well, good luck coming to your own terms with "accomodation" and "resistance." At times I find him maddening and at others quite wise. But the theoretical parts aren't what I'm particularly interested in at this point in my life. The opening chapter's comparative piece is factually grounded, broad ranging, and simply illuminating. Worth the read by all means.