Slavery and the Creation of African America: 1550-1861

Catalog description

Why is slavery Americas peculiar institution? This course seeks to answer this question by addressing two interrelated themes: the development of slavery as an institution, and the rise of African American culture and society in what is now the United States. We will explore these themes by turning to both primary sources and historical monographs, and examining slavery from a variety of perspectives. These include, but are not limited to, law, custom, labor, political economy, and gender.