Anti-Slavery Book Review

The piece of writing this essay will review is an excerpt from the book, ‘God 's Image in Ebony: Being a Series of Biographical Sketches, Facts, Anecdotes, etc., Demonstrative of the Mental Powers and Intellectual Capacities of the Negro Race’. H.G Adams published this book in London in 1854. In the book Adams uses biographies of various black people, among other things, to argue that black and white people are equal, as well as discussing the anti-slave moment in America. Adams begins the book by briefly outlining the history, and the then present perception of slavery in America and the ‘Negro’ race, then in chapter two he goes on to write the biographical sketch of Toussaint Louveture. This is the chapter that this review essay will be focused on. The essay will first outline the historical context of this publication …show more content…
Also during the 1850s abolitionist books were becoming popular, in particular, anti-slavery novel ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, written by author and abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. This book is recognized for aiding the anti-slavery movement and was a hugely successful selling book, inspiring many people globally after being spread throughout mass press, creating a prevalent anti-slavery community throughout America and the world. She appears to have inspired H.G Adams, author of the chapter this essay is reviewing, as the book, which was published in 1854, credits her in the preface for giving momentum to the movement against slavery. Adams also mentions while there were numerous anti-slavery books being published at this time, the purpose of his book was not only to argue the idea that slavery is wrong, but to also demonstrate that blacks are ethically, mentally and physically equal to the white