User:Notropis procne/sandbox7: Difference between revisions

It was dedicated to "All who sincerely strive to understand and obey the divine command ''Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself''"; although, at 294 pages, it might not be considered short. It was also infused with views about race prevalent at the time. For example, it included the line, "Because the white men were superior in a variety of ways the black men received them with joy, and opened traffic at once". It also touted the "pluck" of some slave ship captains and posited that slave -ship experience was helpful in developing American sea power. In this regard, he cited the experience of [[John Paul Jones]] (the American naval Revolutionary War hero) on the slave ship, ''King George'',. Even in a discussion of the degraded action of slavers there was a condescending tone: "And degradation is the inevitable fate of everyone who deliberately ignores justice in his treatment of ''inferiors''. Get rich he may, but be degraded hell-low he shall be" [emphasis added].<ref>{{cite book

Each chapter was preceded by a precise list of contents. There were no illustrations except for a diagram that illustrated the legislative history of the Act of 1807 (effective in 1808), which banned the importation of slaves to the United States. He included long quotations from debates. For example, he devoted a full page to quote a speech by [[Peter Early]], a representative from Georgia, arguing that African captives brought illegally to the United States after the effective date should be sold and not set free. Early concluded that if such a law were enacted, "The whole people will rise up against it. Why? Because to enforce it would be to turn loose, in the bosom of the country, firebrands that would consume them." As indicated by the title, his book was primarily restricted to the slave trade to the United States and was far more detailed on the political aspects of that than Mannix and Cowley.<ref>Du Bois 1896, pp. v, 94, 98-99 & 107.</ref><ref>{{Cite web

According to Mannix and Cowley, slavers began to carry an American passenger (called the capitano de bandiera, or captain of the flag) who ostensively took command of the vessel if it was boarded by the English. They claimed that one was a tailor, and another was a grog-shop keeper.<ref>Mannix and Cowley 1962, ''Black Cargoes'', p. 202.</ref> It wasn't until 1862 when the[[William StewardH. Seward]] in the Lincoln administration [[Lyons–Seward Treaty of 1862|negotiated a treaty]] with the British that allowed their ships to be searched and for violators to be tried in joint British and American courts.<ref>Du Bois 1896, p. 150.</ref>

Another illustration in ''Black Cargoes'' (and reprinted in a New York Times review of the book) was taken from a [[Harper's Weekly]] magazine article, a wood engraving after a daguerreotype of slaves on the captured slave-ship, ''Wildfire,'' brought to Key West in 1860, well after the slave trade was [[Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves|prohibited in the United States]] in 1808. The legend in the book uses the phrase, "walking skeletons covered over with a piece of tanned leather". While the description seems applicable, the text of the Harper's Weekly article stated, "It is said by persons acquainted with the slave-trade and who saw them, that they were generally in a very good condition of health and flesh, as compared with other similar cargoes, owing to the fact that they had not been so much crowded together on board as is common in slave voyages, and had been better fed than usual". Apparently, this was due to the fact that the slavers had only been able to load 600 captives rather than 1000, the full capacity. Nevertheless 90 had died and at least 10 more died after the arrival (considered a small loss). In spite of their suffering, the author wrote that he was amused at "their strange looks, motions, and actions". It was anticipated that [[James Buchanan|President James Buchanan]] would transportagree to have them transported to [[Liberia]], which the United States had established as a colony for freed slaves in Africa.<ref name="Harper's Weekly">{{cite magazine