Slavery and Forced Migration in the Antebellum South [Hardcover]

This book sheds new light on domestic forced migration by examining experiences of American-born slave migrants from a comparative perspective.This book sheds new light on domestic forced migration by examining the experiences of American-born slave migrants from a comparative perspective. It analyzes how different migrant groups anticipated, reacted to, and experienced forced removal, as well as how they adapted to their new homes.This book sheds new light on domestic forced migration by examining the experiences of American-born slave migrants from a comparative perspective. It analyzes how different migrant groups anticipated, reacted to, and experienced forced removal, as well as how they adapted to their new homes.American slavery in the antebellum period was characterized by a massive wave of forced migration as millions of slaves were moved across state lines to the expanding southwest, scattered locally, and sold or hired out in towns and cities across the South. This book sheds new light on domestic forced migration by examining the experiences of American-born slave migrants from a comparative perspective. Juxtaposing and contrasting the experiences of long-distance, local, and urban slave migrants, it analyzes how different migrant groups anticipated, reacted to, and experienced forced removal, as well as how they adapted to their new homes.Introduction; Part I. Migration: 1. Valuable bodies; 2. The gathering storm; 3. Changing places; Part II. Assimilation: 4. Cogs in the wheel; 5. Managing newcomers; 6. Slave crucibles; Conclusion. While much has been written about African slaves' experiences upon arriving in Colonial America, Pargas's work investigates the largely understudied subject of American-born slaves and how their experiences as migrants affected their life experiences and identity formation. By addressing this previously ignored area of history, the book better informs one's understanding of slavery, of the wide variety of slaves' experiences,ló·