Synopsis
In The Ledger and the Chain, prize-winning historian Joshua D. Rothman tells the disturbing story of the Franklin and Armfield company and the men who built it into the largest and most powerful slave trading company in the United States. In so doing, he reveals the central importance of the domestic slave trade to the development of American capitalism and the expansion of the American nation.
Few slave traders were more successful than Isaac Franklin, John Armfield, and Rice Ballard, who ran Franklin and Armfield, and none were more influential. Drawing on source material from more than thirty archives in a dozen states, Rothman follows the three traders through their first meetings, the rise of their firm, and its eventual dissolution. Responsible for selling between 8,000 and 12,000 slaves from the Upper South to Deep South plantations over a period of eight years in the 1830s, they ran an extensive and innovative operation, with offices in New Orleans and Alexandria in Louisiana and Natchez in Mississippi. They advertised widely, borrowed heavily from bankers and other creditors, extended long term credit to their buyers, and had ships built to take slaves from Virginia down to New Orleans. Slavers are often misremembered as pariahs of more cultivated society, but as Rothman argues, the men who perpetrated the slave trade were respected members of prominent social and business communities and understood themselves as patriotic Americans.
By tracing the lives and careers of the nation's most notorious slave traders, The Ledger and the Chain shows how their business skills and remorseless violence together made the malevolent entrepreneurialism of the slave trade. And it reveals how this horrific, ubiquitous trade in human beings shaped a growing nation and corrupted it in ways still powerfully felt today.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Joshua D. Rothman is professor of history and chair of the department of history at the University of Alabama. He is the author of two prize-winning books, Flush Times and Fever Dreams and Notorious in the Neighborhood. He lives in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders...
Stock Image
The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: BooksRun, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. With dust jacket. It's a preowned item in good condition and includes all the pages. It may have some general signs of wear and tear, such as markings, highlighting, slight damage to the cover, minimal wear to the binding, etc., but they will not affect the overall reading experience. Seller Inventory # 1541616618-11-1-29
Stock Image
The Ledger and the Chain : How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 42533457-6
Stock Image
The Ledger and the Chain : How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 42533457-6
Stock Image
The Ledger and the Chain : How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 40700681-6
Seller Image
The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: Dream Books Co., Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly! Seller Inventory # DBV.1541616618.G
Stock Image
The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G1541616618I4N01
Stock Image
The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: St Vincent de Paul of Lane County, Eugene, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. PLEASE NOTE: FORMER LIBRARY BOOK. IT MAY HAVE IDENTIFYING STAMPS, MARKS, STICKERS, ETC. hardcover 100% of proceeds go to charity! Good condition with all pages in tact. Item shows signs of use and may have cosmetic defects. Seller Inventory # P-06-4855
Stock Image
The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: Bookmans, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Good. . Satisfaction 100% guaranteed. Seller Inventory # mon0002708386
Seller Image
The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: Goodwill Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Seller Inventory # 4CJRPI0008H9
Stock Image
The Ledger and the Chain: How Domestic Slave Traders Shaped America
Seller: HPB-Emerald, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_446191383