Compelling Contradictions

Abolishing Slavery

Horton’s ‘In Hope of Liberty’ highlights how the black community in the years before and after the American War for Independence evolved overtime in a bid to progress and fight for freedom. The interesting arguments made here include how the slaves and free African Americans were in a dilemma over whether to ‘assimilate’ or separate themselves from the American identity. Another argument was on the contradiction of American ideals of liberty and equality which disregarded the pressing slavery issue.

The website, “Slavery in New York” is also highly interesting with detailed but short and concise information on the revolution against slavery with an easy timeline organization and facts presented in a visually appealing and easy to digest manner. However, the opinions are not very strong compared to Horton’s anti-slavery approach; rather it seems to be unbiased and objective.

Both are excellent sources on the lives of slaves and the hardships they faced in the years surrounding and leading to the Civil War though I find Horton’s book to be a slightly more interesting and compelling read.