The chattel principle itself has not been defined anywhere in the text nor is the term used contextually in such a way as to determine just how it might be applied or understood apart from the subject of slavery. Internal slave trades in the americas, yale university press new haven, ct, 2005. Wilson prize, awarded to the best first book accepted by the press each year. Taking us inside the new orleans slave market, the largest in the nation, where 100,000 men, women, and children were packaged, priced, and sold, walter johnson transforms the statistics of this chilling trade into the human drama of traders, buyers, and slaves, negotiating sales that would alter the life of each.
Review of soul by soul by walter johnson the lakefront. Apr 09, 2011 the subsequent chapters of the book treat the contested bargains made by traders, buyers, and slaves in the showrooms and auction houses. In an age such as ours, so premised on individual liberty, the author performs a kind of moral autopsy on the mindset of slave owning. So on aristotles account, although the soul is not a material object, it is not separable from the body. Simkins award cowinner, southern historical association, 2001. To many slaveholders, the chattel principle meant that, as property, a slave could have no soul. Mar 12, 2020 soul by soul tells the story of slavery in antebellum america by moving away from the cotton plantations and into the slave market itself, the heart of the domestic slave trade. Events in the history university of north carolina at. Soul by soul chattel principle walter johnson bodies of slavery were forcibly shaped to their slavery commodification and their knowledge of the worth of their bodies from the very beginning. Does anyone know any of these questions about the book. What set slavery apart from other forms of coerced labor. The chattel principle by walter johnson yale university.
Arguing directly against eugene genoveses long standing contention that slavery was a fundamentally precapitalist enterprise that operated hegemonically through a dialectical system of paternalism, johnson in soul by soul 1999 found slavery itself to be thoroughly capitalistic and governed by the brutal realities of the chattel principle. The being of slavery, its soul and body, lives and moves in the chattel principle, the property principle, the bill of sale principle. This book is broken down into seven chapters that deeply analyze and reflect the slave market during antebellum america. Outline and summary of walter johnsons soul by soul. After that the author talks about the chattel principle that viewed slave as movable property in the manner of livestock 1 and discussed the business of slave trading and how it was that slave. While most scholarly attention to slavery in the americas has concentrated on international transatlantic trade, the essays. Does anyone know any of these questions about the book soul. Taking us inside the new orleans slave market, the largest in the nation, where 100,000 men, women, and children were packaged, priced, and sold, walter johnson transforms the statistics of this chilling trade into the. Solomon northups twelve years a slave and the slave. Johnson manages to recirculate individuals slaves, slave traders, slaveholders throughout each chapter, revealing the workings of the chattel principle through their correspondence, slaveabolitionist what johnson accomplishes within the structure of soul by soul is quite impressive. Soul by soul is the awardwinning first book written by walter johnson, an american historian specializing in capitalism, imperialism, and nineteenthcentury slavery, particularly the internal slavetrade of the american south between 1820 and 1860. Slaves bodies were shaped to their slavery in that slaves were trained to view their body as property with a particular value. While most scholarly attention to slavery in the americas has concentrated on international transatlantic trade, the essays in this volume focus on the slave trades within brazil, the west indies, and the southern.
The chattel principle by walter johnson yale university press. What impact did the slave trade have on slave families. Download pdf soul by soul life inside the antebellum. Aug 14, 2015 chattel is a legal term generally used to describe movable property goods, which are anything from a pencil to a cow to a plane. Sahil1 sahil sharma saginaw valley state university history 111 dale moler 16 th march, 2016 walter johnson. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Life inside the antebellum slave market, harvard university press cambridge, ma, 1999. The chattel principle is the idea that a slaves identity could change as easily as his or her price on the market. The chattel principle by walter johnson 1 edition first published in 2005 download daisy. In soul by soul, what does walter johnson say determined.
As the instructor teaching the seminar for which i read this book put it, each chapter is refracted around the chattel principle, but each is distinct in focus and features conflicting perspectives on the principle. Study questions soul by soul what sources did walter johnson use for this book. Soul by soul tells the story of slavery in antebellum america by moving away from the cotton plantations. Even when they were not in a physical slave market, enslaved peoples lives were lived in the shadow of their monetary value. Soul by soul is a stunning excavation of the past, a book that is sure to be read and debated for years to come. In particular, this book is interested in the story of slave showrooms. Walter johnson creates a common identity for the slaves by letting their voices give shape to the narrative. This 29page guide for soul by soul by walter johnson includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 8 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. To do so slavesellers used a system of categorization based on physical attributes skin color, gender, size, etc.
The chattel principle the chattel principle is the idea that a slaves identity could change as easily as his or her price on the market. Internal slave trades in the americas david brion davis gilder lehrman the david brion davis series before i tell you why i was disappointed by this book, i need to let you know that my original interest in reading this book was in learning what the principle of the chattel actually is. Soul by soul tells the story of slavery in antebellum america by moving away from the cotton. The first chapter of this book is about the chattel principle. May 25, 2007 study questions soul by soul what sources did walter johnson use for this book. Soul by soul by walter johnson 2 editions first published in 2000 not in library. The second chapter examines the life of a slave trader, such as their roles and responsibilities. None of the above questions and concerns are addressed by the various essays in this book.
Even in the realm of religion, slavery distorted protestant christianity by challenging the reformations fundamental tenet, namely, the priesthood of all believers, the equality of every soul before god. Proslavery fictions and a black colonization experiment on the northern coast, 18351846 jarret ruminski. Through care and discipline slaves bodies were physically incorporated with their owners standards of measure. Soul by soul is an impressive work of scholarship, winner of harvard university presss thomas j. It was here that the central contradiction in slavery, the chattel principle, crystallized. This wideranging book presents the first comprehensive and comparative account of the slave trade within the nations and colonial systems of the americas. Soul by soul walter johnson harvard university press. Taking us inside the new orleans slave market, the largest in the nation, where 100,000 men, women, and children were packaged, priced, and sold, walter johnson transforms the statistics of this chilling trade. Soul by soul is the awardwinning first book written by walter johnson, an american historian specializing in capitalism, imperialism, and nineteenthcentury slavery, particularly the internal slavetrade of the. Walter johnson is associate professor of american studies and history, new york university. What johnson accomplishes within the structure of soul by soul is quite impressive.
Get an answer for in soul by soul, what does walter johnson say determined the market value of the slaves. The slave pen lay at the depths of slaverys hell, and no one has explored that abyss better than walter johnson. He claims that the slave market would not have existed if it did not have roots within american culture. Summary soul by soul tells the story of slavery in antebellum america by moving away from the cotton. The greatest achievement that can be associated with johnsons book would be the use of the slaver market and slave trade as tools for illuminating the audience on the chattel principle that was at the very core of slavery. As the instructor teaching the seminar for which i read this book put it, each chapter is refracted around the chattel principle, but each is distinct in focus and features conflicting perspectives on. Walter johnson opens the book explaining the chattel principle, which describes the treatment of slaves as property. The chattel principle breaks new ground on a topic of great importance that has, until very recently, escaped the attention it deserves. Johnson tells us many things about the commodification of human beings, some of which you probably know and others that are more surprisinges johnsons book covers wide territory, from the petty encounters of small slave traders to the extraordinary power of slavery in the southern economy. Throughout the book, you can see the theme of power and authority, as well as the confusing relationship between the slaveholders and the slaves. Chattel is a legal term generally used to describe movable property goods, which are anything from a pencil to a cow to a plane.
The chattel principle is the idea that a slaves identity could change as. Internal slave trades in the americas the david brion davis series the chattel principle breaks new ground on a topic of great importance that has, until very recently, escaped the attention it deserves. Yale university press, 2004 edited collection soul by soul. Walter johnson takes a cultural history approach to studying antebellum slavery in contrast to aggregating social histories by arguing that the slave market, rather than the household or the plantation, was the defining feature of the slave south. Soul by soul brilliantly bares the base meaning of chattel bondage and by extension antebellum southern society by inspecting the mechanism that produced and reproduced slavery in the nineteenthcentury united states and in the process defined slave, slave trader, and slaveholder. Download book soul by soul life inside the antebellum slave market in pdf format. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. How did the size of the interstate and local trade differ. Does anyone know any of these questions about the book soul by soul by walter johnson. Life inside the antebellum slave market is a book about historical narrative of the 19 th century, more precisely an explanation of more than six thousand published slave narratives. Although slaveowners tried to draw an imaginary boundary between the market and the everyday course of slavery, slaves lived in perpetual dread of being separated from their families. Soul by soul tells the story of slavery in antebellum america by moving away from the cotton plantations and into the slave market. What factors shaped and influenced the slave trade.
Soul by soul tells the story of slavery in antebellum america by moving away from the cotton plantations and into the slave market itself, the heart of the domestic slave trade. Why does johnson say that the slave trade threatened both social and literal death. Full text of the chattel principle the abhorrence of jesus christ and the apostles. Download pdf soul by soul life inside the antebellum slave. The book investigates such topics as the illegal slave trade in cuba, the creole slave revolt in the u. After that the author talks about the chattel principle that viewed slave as movable property in the manner.
Soul by soul brilliantly bares the base meaning of chattel bondage and by extension antebellum southern society by inspecting the mechanism that produced and reproduced slavery in the nineteenthcentury united states and in the process defined slave. Full text of the chattel principle the abhorrence of. Life inside the antebellum slave market, by walter johnson. Internal slave trades in the americas, 18081888 new haven. Jan 01, 2004 this wideranging book presents the first comprehensive and comparative account of the slave trade within the nations and colonial systems of the americas. The subsequent chapters of the book treat the contested bargains made by traders, buyers, and slaves in the showrooms and auction houses. Full text of the chattel principle the abhorrence of jesus. While most scholarly attention to slavery in the americas has concentrated on international transatlantic trade, the essays in this volume focus on the slave trades within brazil, the west indies, and the southern states of the united. Johnson begins soul by soul by discussing the chattel principle, which based a slaves identity on their market value. At best, slavery posited the spiritual inferiority of darkskinned people who, presumably, needed lightskinned people to minister to and teach them how to believe and behave as christians. When it comes to the intellect, however, aristotle waffles.
Review the chattel principle breaks new ground on a topic of great importance that has, until very recently, escaped the attention it deserves. The chattel principle goodreads meet your next favorite book. Soul by soul, harvard university press, 1999 soul by soul. The chattel principle breaks new ground on a topic of great. Walter johnson department of history harvard university. Chattel definition is an item of tangible movable or immovable property except real estate and things such as buildings connected with real property. To do so slavesellers used a system of categorization based on physical attributes skin color. You can read online soul by soul life inside the antebellum slave market here in pdf, epub, mobi or docx formats. Internal slave trades in the americas walter johnson this wideranging book presents the first comprehensive and comparative account of the slave trade within the nations and colonial systems of the americas. Oct 01, 2008 this wideranging book presents the first comprehensive and comparative account of the slave trade within the nations and colonial systems of the americas. Soul by soul life inside the antebellum slave market.
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