Nineteenth Century Europe
Shin-Kickers From History: Olaudah Equiano
Most accounts of the slave trade were written by slave traders, or by people dedicated to abolishing the slave trade. Few accounts were written by the slaves themselves. One important exception is The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, published in 1789. Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745 in what is now Nigeria. When he was…
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Déjà Vu All Over Again: Grass Roots Organizing And the Abolition of the Slave Trade
The first popular political movement to use the techniques of what we call grass roots organizing was the movement to abolish the slave trade in the eighteenth century. The Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers, were the first group to take a public stand against slavery and the slave trade, even though Quakers…
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The Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of the (First) French Revolution
Several years ago a friend of mine was headed to Paris and asked for a recommendation of a book that would give her a clear account of the French Revolution.* Somewhat abashedly, I suggested my own book on the history of socialism which I believe gives a clear account of the various iterations of the…
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