Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution

Like the ships' journeys, this is a three part tale. For the ships, it was from some British port to the coast of Africa, thence - loaded with "live cargo" - across the Atlantic to the sales dock before returning to the British Isles. It is that "live cargo" that Schama deals with in this superbly written, but tragic, account of how Britain attempted to redeem itself for its role in the slave trade. When the British colonies in North America severed their link to the Crown, "liberty" was the ultimate cause. That "liberty" meant the right to make their own decisions, something the slave-holding colonists refused to apply to their African workers. If they could, slaves and free blacks thus bolted from certain captivity to a promise offered by the defeated imperial power.

The triad of sites in this book are London, North America - particularly Nova Scotia - and the African Coast. In London, a reformer group, led by Granville Sharp, arose to combat slavery and the trans-Atlantic trade in "live cargo". They were opposed by political inertia and the Caribbean sugar lobby of planters, shippers and agents. Escaped or manumitted slaves in North America had few refuges and London held as much promise as anywhere. Ghettos of black populations had grown up by the 1760s, and laboured under uncertain legal and social status. A colonist visiting the capital might seek a lost slave there, while press gangs could raid the black district of St Giles with near impunity. Schama depicts the twisted path of black status in England where Common Law declared that "no man might own another" with acerbic clarity. A court case that might have been a landmark decision resulted in mixed interpretations of the ruling.

Mixed or not, when the Thirteen Colonies rebelled a decade later, the British found it useful to entice slaves to desert masters. Projecting the idea that "no man might own another" at least to? the North American mainland, the British Army created black military forces and declared any soldier or civilian working for it, free. Defeat forced a massive relocation programme, with thousands of people transferred to Nova Scotia. In New York, "The Book of Negroes" was a catalogue of those newly emancipated people as a means of certifying their identity and status. One reason this remained necessary was that slave-owning Loyalists had no intention of releasing their property. Freed and enslaved was distinguished by certificates issued by the military and by such lists as "The Book".

Nova Scotia, as Schama well portrays, was not an unqualified success. The climate was anything but salubrious, nor was the economy ready for the influx of people. Pressures mounted until Birchtown became the first site of a race riot in North America. Another solution was needed and the London group found it in Sierra Leone. As tensions increased in Nova Scotia, Schama introduces the figure of John Clarkson, a Royal Navy officer who might be described as a principled navigator. In Schama's view, Clarkson became the Saviour of the Nova Scotia and some London freedmen. Clarkson's sacrifices were certainly worthy of sainthood - his career, his health and whatever income he possessed. The book's title is as applicable to Clarkson's journey from Halifax to Sierra Leone as any event related. Severe storms buffeted the fleet, while Clarkson lay prostrate in his cabin with what may have been meningitis. Sierra Leone was also beset by storms, of both weather and politics, as it struggled to gain the independence it had been promised. It never was truly free, as much as Clarkson and the settlers wished it so. Still, it was an enclave of hope, and at one point was actually the only place anywhere in the Atlantic world where free blacks had elected representatives and actually entered into the first black labour negotiations.

Schama's account of the struggles of black British subjects is long overdue. It will make uncomfortable reading for some - a testimony to its value and importance. The research foundation is impressively thorough. He handles personalities and situations with equal skill, and has no qualms about exposing the hypocrisies he encounters. The term "racism" doesn't appear in the book, but it doesn't have to. The statements and actions of those who would become leaders in "The Home of Liberty" are expressive enough. A fine, admirable and much-needed book, this needs a wide readership. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

A Voyage of Historical Revelation (4/5 people found this helpful)

With so many historians writing about subjects already extensively covered, it is always a particular delight to find a book which tells a story unfamiliar to all but the the specialist. Simon Schama has found just such a subject in the chronicles of black Afro American slaves who fought for the British Crown in the American War of Independence in return for their freedom and the chance to start afresh in Canada and Seirra Leone.It is account full of exciting incident, vivid characters, idealism, betrayal, misfortune, courage and hypocrisy: it also makes for a cracking read. Those who might find the topic of slavery so immense as to be off putting will find this volume focussed, detailed and cleverly structured whilst some who find Schama's on screen persona irritating will find him a far more appealing on the printed page. Along the way we encounter the usual suspects: politicians who say one thing and do another, Southern plantation owners proclaiming their worship of liberty providing it doesn't apply to slaves and pious martinets who don't let humanity and commonsense get in the way of a moral sermon. Yet in the hard work and commitment of the freed slaves and the idealism of decent men like Granville Sharp and John Clarkson the story of struggle against enormous odds becomes inspiring. For those wanting an informed overview on the debate over the legality of slavery or differing transatlantic approaches to the notion of liberty or the roots of the quest for black political representation will find much of interest here, but if you just like a totally engrossing account of a fascinating historical episode, you cannot go wrong. One of the best popular history books of recent years without doubt.

How history should be written: accurate, interesting and accessible (6/7 people found this helpful)

Simon Schama's book deals with the history of a few thousand, in a war that concerned millions, while giving poignant examples from the personal few. He successful fits his story of the slaves who fought behind British lines into a larger picture of the civil war, and gives them a voice. To the reviewer who claimed this book is overcomplicated, I must simply argue that you're wrong. In this book, Schama writes clearly and is at all points captivating, if one wants an example of imaginative, yet no pretentious social history then one needs to look no further. With his unique style, he writes a book that could easily be a work of fiction were it not so thoroughly researched. Highly recommended to those with even the passing interest in history, it may win the subject some converts.

what I wouldn't do for a little simplicity! (13/30 people found this helpful)

Well, I'd really like to say that this book was brilliant... the story that schama tells is fascinating. The amount of research he must have put in is staggering - but by God he writes a bloomin' boring book! Self indulgent, elitist and (what's that word I'm looking for?) I expect Schama could tell me as he has obviously been learning a new word from the dictionary every day & is now hell-bent on using each & every one of them! (actually I think he made some of them up). The first half of the book gets bogged down in the American War of Independence, a worthy subject in its own right, but too much detail has been included in this book & I found myself skimming passages to reach relevant parts of the text. The second half of the book is a much easier read as the information is relevant and the text is peppered with far fewer meaningless & unnceessary large words. I have to admit I haven't yet managed to finish it - I really, REALLY want to but Simon Schama has not made it easy for me & the many others like me who want to know more about this important subject! What a shame.

Important Book at the right time ... (4/7 people found this helpful)

I have just heard the NPR interview with Mr. Schama and am literally going out to buy his book at now. I have long hawked the facts of the British soldiers promises to enslaved Africans of the new colonies. As a Jamaican emigre, The true story of the British form of "kinder, gentler" tyranny is legendary. The scope of slavery is a savage story and can no longer be sugar-coated as it usually is when told from an American perspective. This text and it's authour promises a bolder, more truthful exposition.

Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution

Simon Schama

Reader Reviews:

"A place like no other . . . " (1/1 people found this helpful)

A Voyage of Historical Revelation (4/5 people found this helpful)

How history should be written: accurate, interesting and accessible (6/7 people found this helpful)

what I wouldn't do for a little simplicity! (13/30 people found this helpful)

Important Book at the right time ... (4/7 people found this helpful)

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