Gloria McCahon Whiting

"Belonging" by Gloria McCahon Whiting is an intimate analysis of New England slaves up until the American Revolution. The author relies on primary sources as much as possible, piecing together each life with impressive accuracy. We're first introduced to Dorcas, the first member of African descent to join the Puritan Church. Then there is Jane and Sebastian, two lovers who wished to be married against the wishes of Jane's mistress. There's Lydia, a white woman, and Thomas a freed black man, who are married two years before the General Assembly passes a law forbidding interracial marriage in 1705. Administrative racial labels vs societal perception trail their "passing" descendants for generations. Then we meet Sue, a woman who was sold as an infant, only to suffer the sale of her own children . Such cold-hearted "trampling upon their intimate lives" could drive anyone to murder, as is the case of Mark, Phoebe and Phillis in 1755.

I adore historical studies like this, because they are usually the most respectful and yet honest. "Enslaved spouses rarely were able to cohabit; children could be removed from their mothers at an enslaver’s whim..." No two stories of enslavement are ever the same. Slavery is often taught in a removed, statistic-heavy manner. It's true that numbers are important, but slavery was present in every facet of American life, not just the plantations. Slavery is emotional, financial, societal, religious and economical. It was in the Church, in Court, in the market, in the house next door. I was surprised to learn that Samuel Sewall, the regretful judge from the Salem witch trials, was adamantly anti-slavery. Slavery was and is an abhorrent institution, but you'll learn that it is also complex and deeply personal. Parts of this book will break your heart, but you'll be glad when it sticks with you.… (mehr)