the half has never been told discussion questions

Baptist's strongly supported thesis is that the economic growth of the 18th and 19th centuries was fueled neither by entrepreneurial drive, nor by technical innovation, but instead by the toil of enslaved people. If you know me, or have followed my reviews for a while, you'll know that I grew up and went to school in the south, specifically northern Florida (aka southern Georgia), and by now you should already have guessed that this meant that our State Sponsored Education regarding slavery, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement (plus all other subjects) left a bit to be desired. I think it should be read in tandem with Empire of Cotton to understand how the roots of democracy, capitalism, and slavery were intertwined in uncomfortable and long-lasting ways. One of the best books I've read in a long time. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. My point is that I grew up hearing the skewed "states' rights" reasoning for the Civil War, but on some level always knew it was bullshit. File this under "could have been half as long and thus made its points more effectively," but then, perhaps also file under "has something for everyone." Refrain: The half has never been told, Of Jesus and His love; The story will never grow old, Of Jesus and His love. It's like he had heard thirdhand a description of new historicism and decided to write that way. One of the most intriguing stories that combine our Afro-Centric history with a story of love is the meeting and conversation between King Solomon and The Queen of Sheba. It feels right to reclaim history and add one more tiny piece to the puzzle that is my understanding of the world. This should be required reading of every high school student in America without regards to ethnicity or socio-economic status. I. But given its starting point, the book does end on a higher note (even though it does mention Jim Crow). A hard but necessary book to read. Refresh and try again. The Half Has Never Been Told counters the massive propaganda campaign, well under way by the mid 1800’s, which romanticized slavery and the society that profited from it. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. In his expansive The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism, Cornell historian Edward E. Baptist fleshes out the incomplete story of slavery most of us received in school. In “The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism,” Cornell professor Edward E. Baptist makes a persuasive case that slavery wasn’t like … Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism” by Edward E. Baptist. But who bought all that cotton, who turned it into textiles, who profited from cheap cotton? The Half Has Never Been Told answers all. You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Having read the book, this feels very obvious to me now, but as I was reading it I could feel my own resistance to Baptist's thesis, because I have been taught well over many years to believe otherwise--that the plantation economy of South as well as slavery itself were backward economic institutions that were destined to be overwhelmed by the capital-intense North. Edward E. Baptist (born 1970) is an American academic and writer. Winner of the 2015 Avery O. Craven Prize from the Organization of American Historians Winner of the 2015 Sidney Hillman Prize It doesn't rely on the racist shibboleth of many historians that the Civil War was about "states' rights"; in fact, repudiating that ugly fiction is perhaps the book's central goal. If you haven't read many books about slavery or 19th century America this is a good one to turn to. I cited examples from a marvelous book, The Half Has Never Been Told,including the perspective that Santa Ana marched into Texas to throw out the American usurpers not just because they were taking land and forming their own government but also because Sam Houston and company wanted to establish a slave economy to grow more cotton. This book is so beautifully written and so eye-opening. They question a) the premise that slavery was the primary driver of the industrial revolution rather than a failing antiquated economic model, and b) that torture was the primary driver of productivity gains by slaves in the cotton fields. By using a multi-narrative format, the author pulls in anyone with even a casual interest in history and how it affects and informs their present by making it personal, while still including the facts, figures, statistics and holistic view of events necessary to drive home the points made. MORE ON SLAVERY AND CAPITALISM, continuing our journey through ‘The Half Has Never Been Told.’ Chapter 5 is titled ‘Tongues.’ And it begins with the fact of slave songs and their meaning. The book very skillfully mixes a wrenching portrayal of individual human suffering, gleaned from oral histories of former slaves, with a solid economic history of the U.S. economy during the slave era. In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. I think I've always known what most people know. I think I've always known what most people know. Fascinating, heart breaking, and beautifully written. a Congressman from Montana who won his election after bodyslamming a reporter, and the president praising him for it. I saw The Color Purple. Not just the South. Which short story/essay did you like least? The writing is mostly readable though there are times where the writing becomes inexplicably lyrical. The perfect rebuttal to the often promoted Conservative/Republican myth that the United States was founded on 'freedom' and 'democracy'. And here is another irony. This is not a question. Just looked at the Columbia Law article. This book is not for the faint of heart. In The Half Has Never Been Told Edward E. Baptist explores the engines of American economic growth during the first half of 19th century, and the consequences that growth had on American slavery and its victims. The Half | 'The images are disturbing' During Black History Month, EmpowerWest is forming a virtual citywide book club by simultaneously reading "The Half Has Never Been Told," by Edward E. Baptist. Baptist’s well-researched book exposes Lost Cause and Plantation Novel propaganda, not as a shading of the truth, but as a black lie. Americans tend to cast slavery as a pre-modern institution—the nation’s original sin, perhaps, but isolated in time and divorced from America’s later success. This book outlines the reasons why it is bullshit, and does it brilliantly. Reading this book now was a comfort, as counter-intuitive as it may seem. The Half Has Never Been Told No. These words are recorded in 1 Kings the 10th chapter. Baptist, who teaches at Cornell University, is the author of a well-­regarded study of slavery in Florida. We're used to talking about difficult topics, but this one was especially challenging. Welcome back. I felt like I was scavenging the text for what useful tidbits he had hidden in there. A hard but necessary book to read. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was also excellent. What makes this book unique..and outstanding.is the thoroughness with which Baptist explains the daisy-chain of economic motivations that led to the expansion of slavery from Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina at the end of the Revolutionary War into the then western states and how. This is not a question. Which short story/essay did you like best? However, it is important to be critical of these claims because each historian has an incentive to claim their stuff is new and innovative. I don't often publicly post reviews of the books I'm reading on Goodreads. 131 Introduction. I struggled getting through this one. He is a professor of history at Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York, where he specializes in the history of the 19th-century United States, particularly the South.Thematically, he has been interested in the history of capitalism and has also been interested in digital humanities methodologies. But mostly it was a comfort because it feels right. Answered Questions (3) I am about the business of educating myself more fully about slavery and race in America, from the antebellum period through Jim Crow and up to modern racial theory. If I had read it, I probably wouldn't have bought it. by Edward E. Baptist (Goodreads Author) Reader Q&A. Also, I’m not sure the book ever proves that slavery has impacted modern American capitalism. What you might not have taken away from the ensuing media storm is that "The Half Has Never Been Told" is quite a gripping read. 36. A social and economic history of the rise of slavery and cotton growing in the South. If you know me, or have followed my reviews for a while, you'll know that I grew up and went to school in the south, specifically northern Florida (aka southern Georgia), and by now you should already have guessed that this meant that our State Sponsored Education regarding slavery, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement (plus all other subjects) left a bit to be desired. Baptist includes the individual narratives of the enslaved … We're still living with the great sin of slavery so we might as well lear all we can. I noticed a dynamic that we're going to want to pay some attention to. This is not a question. There comes a point in every historical field when you can start to talk about over-saturation. I teach about "othering" and the Noble Savage in my AP class. Slaverys influence on the development of American capitalism is certainly part of the half that has never been told. Secondly, it doesn't focus on those economic forces as much as I had hoped. But, for me, this was such an important book that has changed my way of thinking in one sense: I now believe, even 150 years after the American Civil War, that some form of national and international reparations are necessary to the victims of the international slave trade and slavery in the United States (and elsewhere). These digressions reveal more about slavery, but they don’t really advance the theme. But the book disappointed me on a couple of fronts. I am about the business of educating myself more fully about slavery and race in America, from the antebellum period through Jim Crow and up to modern racial theory. The”, https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/edward-e-baptist/the-half-has-never-been-told/9780465097685/. Book Club Discussion Questions for Short Story and Essay Collections. Never have I read a book that has touched me in such a powerful, visceral, and connecting way to the legacy of my ancesters and how they shapped the world. Trump uses very similar wording (drug dealers, criminals, rapists, animals) to describe Mexican people and demonize refugees and asylum seekers, Supreme Court Judge was confirmed after being accused of sexual assaults, United Nations International Decade of People of African Descent. Bill Gates Picks 5 Good Books for a Lousy Year. It is a link to multiple blogposts of a professor of economics at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia who critiques. But to do so robs the millions who suffered in bondage of their full legacy. I struggled getting through this one. Is there controversy over the work of Baptist and other scholars in the New History of Capitalism literature? As much as I had read it just after finishing the also brilliant of. About slavery ’ s Baptist ’ s point the reviews are necessarily to! 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