The Price for Their Pound of Flesh: The Value of the Enslaved from Womb to Grave in the Building of a Nation
Author:
Genres: History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Hardcover
In a nutshell the book examines trends in appraisal and sales values of enslaved blacks at all stages of life. The author details the somewhat expected and predictable fluctuations in the values placed on the enslaved as age increases.
For instance, the author shows that the value of an enslaved child rose as the child survived its first perilous years when infant mortality was high and the child's perceived usefulness in the planation labor force increased. Likewise, young adult male slaves increased in value as long as they remained "sound" and were capable of contributing mightily to their plantation's economy. Enslaved woman of childbearing age, while sometime seen as an inconvenience prior to the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in 1808, were highly valued for their labor and for their breeding capacity once importation of overseas captives became illegal. The topics of forced reproduction and "farming;" of human "stock" are well covered.
After the prime years of vitality, the author examines the decreasing valuation of enslaved people as their output diminishes with age and infirmity. At all stages of life, the enslaved were traded, sold, and insured for the benefit and enrichment of the enslavers, as was to be expected.
What wasn't as expected (and which leads to quite compelling discourse in this book) is the examination of what the author calls "soul value" and "ghost value." By the term "soul value," Ms. Berry is referring to the value the enslaved person places on him/herself; it is essentially the enslaved person's internal valuation of their own moral worth. This measure of value is address thought the book, but it takes on heightened importance in the final (and by far longest) chapter.
This culminating chapter delves into the morbid territory of "ghost value;" which is the value of an enslaved person's body after death. Specifically, this refers to the postmortem valuation and continued exploitation of enslaved bodies, often though a clandestine underground black market of cadavers used for anatomical research and/or display. Whether by means of post-mortem sale by the enslaver, exhumation by so-called "resurrectionists." or by execution, the enslavement of black bodies often did not end with death and a peaceful burial. This is one part of the use/abuse of enslaved black Americans that is seldom explored, but certainly needs to be. Bravo to the author for doing so. I highly recommend this book.
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. February 25, 2017.
For instance, the author shows that the value of an enslaved child rose as the child survived its first perilous years when infant mortality was high and the child's perceived usefulness in the planation labor force increased. Likewise, young adult male slaves increased in value as long as they remained "sound" and were capable of contributing mightily to their plantation's economy. Enslaved woman of childbearing age, while sometime seen as an inconvenience prior to the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in 1808, were highly valued for their labor and for their breeding capacity once importation of overseas captives became illegal. The topics of forced reproduction and "farming;" of human "stock" are well covered.
After the prime years of vitality, the author examines the decreasing valuation of enslaved people as their output diminishes with age and infirmity. At all stages of life, the enslaved were traded, sold, and insured for the benefit and enrichment of the enslavers, as was to be expected.
What wasn't as expected (and which leads to quite compelling discourse in this book) is the examination of what the author calls "soul value" and "ghost value." By the term "soul value," Ms. Berry is referring to the value the enslaved person places on him/herself; it is essentially the enslaved person's internal valuation of their own moral worth. This measure of value is address thought the book, but it takes on heightened importance in the final (and by far longest) chapter.
This culminating chapter delves into the morbid territory of "ghost value;" which is the value of an enslaved person's body after death. Specifically, this refers to the postmortem valuation and continued exploitation of enslaved bodies, often though a clandestine underground black market of cadavers used for anatomical research and/or display. Whether by means of post-mortem sale by the enslaver, exhumation by so-called "resurrectionists." or by execution, the enslavement of black bodies often did not end with death and a peaceful burial. This is one part of the use/abuse of enslaved black Americans that is seldom explored, but certainly needs to be. Bravo to the author for doing so. I highly recommend this book.
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. February 25, 2017.
