American Slavery: 1619-1877

xv, 304 pp. A concise, engaging overview of American slavery from the beginning of the colonial era to emancipation and its aftermath. Kolchin takes a broad geographical perspective, putting American slavery in the context of a general trend toward use of forced labor on the periphery of an expanding Europe. This incisive synthesis fills a major gap for the general reader and for historians, who will find it both stimulating and appealing.