Reviews for Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540-1866

The average rating for Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540-1866 based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-06-02 00:00:00 Brian Macneil Slavery and Evolution was referenced in many of the books which I have read on Native American history and culture in recent years. As public libraries are closed right now during the COVID pandemic and it was available via Internet Archive I realized it was the right time for me to read it. IMHO, it is an admirable piece of scholarship. At barely more than 140 pages of text Perdue provided a thorough review of dozens of primary sources like manuscripts, memoirs, correspondence, US government reports, newspaper accounts, and interviews done in the 1930's of the descendants of African American slaves and Cherokee citizens. A wide array of secondary sources like books and journal articles were also included. The author presented her argument in a clear and coherent manner: trade with the European colonizers, interactions with the Christian missionaries, and the Cherokee adaption to and gradual acceptance of 'civilization' in the late 18th and early 19th centuries led to the modification of and eventual disruption of their society and their indigenous system of slavery. Rivalries between pro slavery and anti slavery factions in the tribe leading up to and during the Civil War exacerbated its problems. The book was quite readable for a few reasons. The chapters were well organized into subtopics, the prose was direct and succinct for the most part, and the author's timely use of quotations from the primary sources made it engaging. She also provided a few maps which made it easy to visualize the places which were being discussed in the text. Given these strengths it is obvious why Slavery and Evolution became a foundational text which many subsequent historians have relied on. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants to develop a solid base of knowledge about this topic. Then those with a greater interest can read two other books by Tiya Miles which delve into the topic in greater depth: Ties that Bind and The House on Diamond Hill. Having found that both Slavery and Evolution and her book on Cherokee Women were excellent I will look to read more of Purdue's work in the future. One cannot recommend an author any more highly than that.

Review # 2 was written on 2021-02-18 00:00:00 Timothy Hanely I highly recommend this book for understanding how the adoption of chattel slavery brought massive economic and cultural division to the Cherokee people that did not exist before colonization. These divisions have driven Cherokee's entire post-Contact history and is still occurring today, in my opinion. It also makes clear the huge role that enslaved Black Cherokee and their forced labor played in growing Cherokee economic and power status as a Nation. Well worth the read. The book briefly discusses allotment but the bulk of the book ends at the close of the Civil War.