Without Consent or Contract: The Rise and Fall of American Slavery

This is an excellent work on the impact of slavery in the Americas. Between 1600-1800, the New World slaves numbered under 1/5 of the population in the Western Hemisphere. Before the American Revolution, sugar was approximately 1/5 of English imports and slaves produced commodities in England at about 30% . Sugar plantations had a sugar factory with 20% slave labor. The workers ground the sugar between rollers to extract juice. The juice was filtered to remove impurities. Curing sugar involved dripping molasses and a distillation process leading to rum. In Cuba, railroad production was encouraged to serve the growing sugar industry. The process of converting peasants to industrial laborers was difficult due to the extreme resistance. In the 20s and 30s, Stalin complained about resistance of Russian muzhiks to the demands of modern assembly lines. Andrew Ure, the apostle of the factory system, noted that it was nearly impossible to convert persons past puberty to become useful factory hands. This was due to the behavioral unwillingness to be dehumanized. The absence of sugar production in the USA meant fewer slaves proportionately than in the Caribbean. Cotton was not a major crop until the 19th century. Between 1800-1860, there was a westward movement of cotton and slaves. The Civil War achieved continued struggle of poor blacks and whites and an improved economy. The contents of this book would be an important contribution to American and World History texts.