Seth Moglen’s historical recount of 18th century Moravian slavery in Enslaved in the City on a Hill is not only an overview on the experience of slaves and the hardship they faced, but also a critique of how history is written. Most people have heard of the saying ‘history is written by the victors’, and Moglen provides an epitomical example of this. By exploring the concise memoirs of Andrew and Magdalena – primary sources from the victims of the Moravian slave-trade – Enslaved in the City on a Hill recounts the progressive, for its time, city of Bethlehem.
Moglen, however, contends that, despite the egalitarian – or more just – appeal of 18th century Bethlehem, the moral vacuum of slavery was still ever-present and heavily weighed upon
Moglen, however, contends that, despite the egalitarian – or more just – appeal of 18th century Bethlehem, the moral vacuum of slavery was still ever-present and heavily weighed upon