Name: Slavery by Another Name
ISBN: 9780385506250

Douglas A. Blackmon

Reveals how, from the late 1870s through the mid-twentieth century, thousands of African-American men were arrested and forced to work off outrageous fines by serving as unpaid labor to businesses and provincial farmers.

The Re-enslavement of Black People in America from the Civil War to World War II

Slavery by Another Name

Gavin

The South deluded itself that the Negro was happy in his place; the North deluded itself with the with the illusion that it had freed the Negro.

 – MLK

Toe-curling account of the extra century of quasi-slavery in America: hidden in plain sight from 1865-1945, hidden in archives and historians’ de-emphasis since then. Blackmon's point is that ‘Jim Crow segregation’ is a grave euphemism. 

Sham laws, racist courts, and ‘prisoner leasing’ led to millions of (especially) black men spending years in forced labour for ‘vagrancy’. Blackmon’s research is maybe exemplary, but his prose is really poor.

Dana Kraft

This is a powerful book. I've read a lot of history books and this completely changed my perspective on post Civil War America. The author does a great job of showing how this new form of slavery was intertwined into the political, social and economic life of the South during that time. I don't see this as a book about racism, crooked businessmen, or even African American life. It's a book about life in the South after the Civil War.

I totally agree with the Epilogue that we need to rethink how we teach and frame post-Civil War America. I tried to think about my US history classes so long ago, and I think we probably spent 5% of our time on all events after the Civil War. I would suggest that anyone even remotely interested read this book, then The Warmth of Other Suns, then Just Mercy.

This also shifted my perspective on criminal justice in a society without a lot of prisons (like we have today). It also makes me think harder about the importance of being aware of and accountable for all aspects of what goes into making a profitable business.

I read this because it was recommended at the end of Just Mercy. This wasn't as enjoyable a read as Just Mercy, but it was equally thought-provoking. My only complaint was his descriptions of the awful working conditions in the mines. It wasn't obvious that those working conditions weren't industry- standard for any miner in those days - white, black, paid or slave. That doesn't make them ok but he spent a lot of time on it.

Slavery by Another Name The Re-enslavement of Black People in America from the Civil War to World War II

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