Myths of American Slavery by Walter D. Kennedy: A Review

Myths of American Slavery by Walter Donald Kennedy: A Review

There’s a saying, “The victors of a war write the history,” and perhaps there’s no clearer example of that than the misinformation and inaccuracies spread regarding the War Between the States.  However, once a student of history delves into real the facts and past the propaganda of those (often in government) with agendas and past the fiction of the saint-makers and mythmakers, one can find many surprising and iconoclastic truths. Sacred cows do not die easily or quietly usually, for their devotees (in this case the winners of America’s Civil War) are usually numerous and powerful. I would like to devote some articles to reviews of books related to or about the War Between the States that are sure to challenge our thinking

Myths of American Slavery by Walter Donald Kennedy is a fine example of how commonly accepted beliefs can be challenged.  Kennedy is the author of The South Was Right! (Pelican Publishing), a book that is in the best-seller category, having sold over 100,000 copies.  The Foreword is written by Bob Harrison, a black Southern writer. The book’s introduction begins with an epigraph of Jefferson Davis that says, “No subject [slavery] has been more generally misunderstood or more persistently misrepresented.”  The text is well-researched and documented with an impressive bibliography and index.

The book is a balanced, but challenging study of the institution of slavery in the 19th century, is full of surprises and is organized in this fashion:

Chapter 1 Slavery: A Worldwide Phenomenon
Chapter 2 Slavery Comes to the New World
Chapter 3 Abolitionism Versus Christianity
Chapter 4 African-Americans, Free Born and Slave
Chapter 5 Slavery Versus Secession
Chapter 6 Lincoln: The Un-Emancipator
Chapter 7 Slavery and the Confederate States of America
Chapter 8 The Flag of Slavery
Chapter 9 On the State of Slavery in Virginia
Chapter 10 On Jordan’s Stormy Banks
Addendum I Abstract: On the State of Slavery in Virginia
Addendum II Early Anti-Slavery Tract
Addendum III Recommended Reading List

Do yourself a favor and visit Walter Kennedy’s website and take a look at this book and some of his other writings. http://www.kennedytwins.com/

One thought on “Myths of American Slavery by Walter D. Kennedy: A Review

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