Slavery In Eugene Genovese's From Rebellion To Revolution

Eugene Genovese creates a narrative in his book, From Rebellion to Revolution, that extends the conversation from his previous work, Roll, Jordan, Roll. However, in the present book Genovese moves further than discussion of the wide-ranging subject of slavery to the cultural, social, economic and political context of slave revolts specifically. His finds that slave revolts increased in frequency and organization as political thought evolved throughout European dominated countries. Most importantly, he connects African culture, religion, and Enlightenment-fueled politics as a means that carried Afro-Americans’ push for equality and freedom through tremendous adversity and the ensuing influence they had on history. His thesis, in fact, states, “as …show more content…
In the beginning, slave revolts were connected to slave treatment. The harshness that a slave would find themselves in the New World pushed them beyond their breaking point, and often, those things which every individual requires to fulfill immediate needs were tipping points for rebellion when they were withheld. Even those small privileges that a slave may be fortunate to have, Genovese says, would incite rebellion when taken away. These break-away slaves subsequently formed communities, known as Maroons, in which they strove to recreate the African culture and society from which they had been taken. Genovese’s argument that rebel slaves provided a change to history because of their ingenuity and wit can be seen beginning here with communities of Maroons. Guerrilla warfare characterized these groups, as did their strength and numbers, at least for some, but their contribution to the slow movement of change came through initial treaties with European countries that brought a form of freedom, or at least the realization that it could be