Unburdened by Conscience

A Black People's Collective Account of America's Ante-Bellum South and the Aftermath

Anthony W. Neal

• Publisher: University Press of America
• Edition: 1
• Year: 2009
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: American Civil War History
• eBook ISBN:
  9780761849667
• Index: History

In Unburdened by Conscience, Anthony W. Neal forcefully argues that influential historians have been unable to offer a complete account of ante-bellum-era American slavery because of their preoccupation with humanizing the slaveholders. He charges them with concealing the full horrors of slavery in order to present the slaveholders in a more positive light. By skillfully weaving together candid first-hand accounts of courageous ex-slaves, Neal then permits readers to see slavery in the United States from their point of view. Former slaves talk openly about the break-up of their marital unions and families and about matters rarely examined in most American slavery history books. Those issues include the slaveholders' legally-sanctioned acts of violence, their practice of slave-breeding, and their rape of black women. Through this work, Neal gives a voice to black people who endured American slavery, and presents a sobering record not found in most books on the topic.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Part One: Brutality and Physical Repression
• Part Two: Master-on-Slave Rape
• Part Three: Slave Family Break-Ups
• Part Four: The Aftermath
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author