The Diligent: A Voyage Through the Worlds of the Slave Trade
by Robert Harms
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Description
History. Nonfiction. The Diligent began her journey in Brittany in 1731, and Harms follows her along the African coast where her goods were traded for slaves, to Martinique where her captives were sold to work on sugar plantations. Harms brings to life a world in which slavery was a commerce carried out without qualms. He shows the gruesome details of daily life aboard a slave ship, as well as French merchants wrangling with their government for the right to traffic in slaves, African kings show more waging epic wars for control of European slave trading posts, and representatives of European governments negotiating the complicated politics of the Guinea coast to ensure a stead supply of labor for their countries' colonies. The Diligent is filled with rich stories that explain how the slave trade worked on all levels, from geopolitics to the rigging of ships. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A great read, based on the journal of a French slave trader. This book takes us through the details of a slave voyage, beginning with the economics driving the slave trade, moving through the actual acquisition of slaves and their sale in the Americas, and ending back in France. If you are interested in the slave trade, this is arguably the most detailed book available. It does not make wider speculations about whether this trip was typical of slave trading, but it does provide an amazingly detail on a specific voyage.
Fascinating history.
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Author Information
12 Works 359 Members
Robert Harms is a professor of History at Yale University
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Diligent: A Voyage Through the Worlds of the Slave Trade
- First words
- As the first rays of the sun struck the Brittany coast of France on May 31, 1731, the crew of the Diligent was already hard at work preparing the ship for its departure.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Although the names of those Africans have been forever lost to history, somewhere in Martinique their descendants have survived, endured, and perhaps triumphed.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Home & Garden
- DDC/MDS
- 380.1 — Society, Government, and Culture Commerce, communications & transportation regulations Agencies for Trade, Communication, Transport
- LCC
- HT1177 .H37 — Social sciences Communities. Classes. Races Communities. Classes. Races Classes Slavery
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 250
- Popularity
- 129,331
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.44)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 3
