Role of the Plantation, The
Historian and author Ira Berlin explains that it was cotton and sugar, in the nineteenth century, which, "...transformed the United States from a minor player in the plantation game to the largest slave society in the world."
Struggle in the Border States
Historian and author Ira Berlin talks about the challenge of convincing the border states to emancipate. Professor Berlin explains that the enlistment of African-American men helped speed the process and began to erode slavery in Maryland, Kentucky,...
From Days Before Time: Spanish Engage in Slavery to Fill Labor Needs
Although the conquistadors continue to search for riches in other Aztec-like empires, they soon find a more tangible incentive in the conscription of a slave labor force for their Caribbean colonies. The Spanish and the Portuguese are among the firs...
Slavery Experience, The
Historian and author Ira Berlin talks about the realities of day to day life for slaves. Professor Berlin explains that the slave's experience varied depending on whether he or she lived in a city or in the country, on a small farm or a large planta...
Slavery and the Civil War
While many people, including Abraham Lincoln, said the Civil War was about the Union, historian and author Ira Berlin argues that the war cannot be understood without the institution of slavery. In fact, Professor Berlin adds, "...By the end of the ...
Slavery: A Historical Perspective
Historian and author Ira Berlin provides a historical overview of slavery, noting that it is mentioned in both the Bible and the Koran. Professor Berlin describes slavery as an institution that produces goods very quickly and cheaply, but does so in...
Resistance and Rebellion
Historian and author Ira Berlin explains that slaveholders were generally able to prevail upon non-slaveholders to help them squelch resistance among the slave population. "But ultimately," Professor Berlin notes, "...slavery is destroyed by what we...
Emancipation
Historian and author Ira Berlin explains that slavery in the United States was not a regional institution. It existed in the north as well as the south, until the north committed to put an end to slavery sometime after the American Revolution. Profe...
African-American Slave Women
American history professor Alice Kessler-Harris talks about the plight of slave women during the time leading up to the Civil War and beyond. "Slave women in the South are in a horrendous position," Professor Kessler-Harris says. "Most people talk a...
Abolitionist Movement, The
American history professor Alice Kessler-Harris talks about the link between women and Abolitionist Movement, The . "You might want to say that it is inspired by women, to some extent, and inspires them to look for women's rights," Professor Kessler...