Slave and Citizen: The Classic Comparative Study of Race Relations in the Americas

by Frank Tannenbaum, Franklin W. Knight (Introduction)

Originally published in 1947, Slave and Citizen is a classic in the field of comparative slave history and race relations.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Tannenbaum's volume comparing the experiences with slavery of Latin America with those of the Anglophone colonies of the West Indies and the United States, is a concise, well-sourced and often brutally-frank treatment of the subject. Covering a broad range of topics the Middle Passage, the legal regimes under which Latin American and Anglo-American slaves existed, the roles of the Catholic Church in Latin America and of the Protestant churches in the Anglo-American countries, the institutional ramifications of slavery in the Western Hemisphere - including that of inevitable racial mixing - Tannenbaum nevertheless manages to make lucid and insightful comparisons about them all. Though he has no illusions about slavery anywhere in the Western Hemisphere being anything but unpardonably brutal and dehumanising to millions of people across dozens of generations, clearly Tannenbaum tends to look more favourably on the Latin American model, wherein the legal, cultural and religious gaps between slavery and freedom were much narrower, and made much easier for enslaved black people to traverse in the direction of freedom, than in the Anglophone world.

The situations described in this book are, naturally, a bit dated. The work having been written in 1947, a good six years before even Brown v. Board of Education, the 'frictions' and the 'painful process of accommodation' between the races do (admirably, in context) get a mention, but hardly more than that. Naïve though this approach may have proven to be, given the history that has taken place since then with regard to race relations (and which is still not by any means at an end!), many of Tannenbaum's insights are still valuable. He points out very consciously that the real danger lies not in black expressions of anger or resentment against white America, but rather if they 'managed to live in a vacuum where there was no friction', because that would mean an intellectual and practical retreat on both sides from any notion of an intelligible common good to which folks of colour could justly lay claim.

If there is one real flaw in this book, it would seem to be that it treats contemporary issues (as of 1947) a little too cursorily, and ends on a note which would now seem, in hindsight, overly hopeful. It should be clear by now that mixed marriages and racial mobility alone, admirable though they are, will address only a limited set of the problems which have historically built up around the legacies of slavery and denial of civil rights. Still a recommended read, albeit in concert with other more contemporary contributions.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. this book makes no attempts to hold your hand on the frank realities and statistics of global slavery. this is a great introduction text to learn about various histories and use that to examine topics further. I sped through this book, it felt very readable and approachable. While this book has its flaws, because of its age, I think it remains highly relevant and approachable.

[Milliebot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since non-fiction isn’t something I read often, I needed to think about my approach when reviewing it. I’ve decided I should be asking myself two questions: Did I learn something and did I understand what I was learning/reading (how accessible was the content, basically)?

In the case of Slave and Citizen, the answer to both questions was yes. The writing was a number-heavy at times, but I think it’s incredibly important to see then numbers when looking at the history of slavery. For example, the number of slaves taken who died in transport (either on land to the ships or on the ships themselves) compared to how many survived to actually become slaves.

I feel like I learned a lot more about the beginning of slave trade, as well as how slaves were treated in the US, versus South America where there were many routes to freedom and where freed slaves were overall seen as citizens afterwards. This is great jumping-off point for anyone looking to educate themselves on how this country was built on systemic racism and at only 130 pages or so, easily worth your time.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and provocative, though largely wrong.

[Sasha (bahareads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tannenbaum's essay is classic in the field of comparative slavery. Personally, I enjoyed Tannenbaum's essay, even though some of Tannenbaum's thinking is archaic there are subjects he touches where he anticipates historical trends. Some of the historical trends he anticipates are slave raids and the study of the middle passage, illegal slave trade, and acquiring whiteness. Slave and Citizen is a great jumping-off point if you want to situate yourself in the historiography of combative slavery.

[Paul Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tannenbaum's work in this book should be the required genesis for any serious study into systems of enslavement. This applies to modern day revisionists who attempt to dismiss the lingering effects of chattel slavery in race relations within the United States. Their most common argument, that slavery was an ancient practice in nearly all cultures and thus no cause for lingering racial division, is deconstructed by Tannenbaum's evidence which sets chattel slavery apart from all other systems of enslavement.

While Tannenbaum's central thesis has been debated, primarily because he makes assertions about manumission and emancipation which are not necessarily proven within his work, his comparison of racial attitudes and systems of enslavement are invaluable. Under his concise instruction, one cannot help but shed long held misconceptions about slavery and its subsequent impact on various cultures. Definitely worth your time.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tannenbaum is a historian's historian and Slave and Citizen is a historian's historian's piece of work. While some of the ideas put forward by Tannenbaum have fallen out of favor in contemporary historical analysis, one simply cannot do a comparative study of slavery in the Western Hemisphere without making this one's starting block. Through this book he broke new ground and opened up a lot of eyes.

Due to its short length, precision, and ease of read it is a great jump off point for a study of slavery.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly flawed, and makes sweeping grand arguments about the differences between slavery and race relations in the U.S. and Latin America. Needless to say, its a lot of fun! Seriously, it's worth taking a look at if your interested in race relations...it'll give you a reason to pick up a good history book or three.

[Hannah Lincoln · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this book hoping to get a view into how a white liberal in the early 1900s would write about slavery. I was surprised by his sense of empathy for the fellow man. We remember that era as full of racists, but you can see the tides of ideology (among educated whites anyway) were perhaps way ahead of what we give them credit for. Short book, interesting -- and of course very sad.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first texts I read from this era detailing the differences between 'race' in North and South America. This is so an anachronistic opinion: How did this ish happen in the first place for real?!? Oh yea: money.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting book on the differences between Latin America and the US/British West Indies slave systems.

[Nranger7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book despite some flaws in his argument.