American Quarterly · 1968 · 80 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesHistorySociologyLatin American HistorySlavery StudiesSocial HistoryBlack StudiesComparative SlaveryEnslavement In The AmericasColonial Plantation AgricultureComparative Black HistoryComparative Slave SystemsCross-national Institutional DifferencesIntergenerational Occupational MobilityNorth American Plantation SlaverySlave Demography
Cuba and Virginia, similar in racial composition and plantation agriculture, serve as excellent comparative models. Klein’s analysis examines legal frameworks, religion, economic development, and freedmen’s status. Klein confirms theories of institutional differences between Latin American and North American slavery, explains greater social integration of blacks in Latin America, and offers insights into contemporary race relations.
In this first detailed comparison of the workings and effects of slavery in two New World colonies, Herbert Klein dramatically confirms formerly untested theories about institutional differences in Latin American and North American slavery. He explains in large measure why blacks have achieved greater social integration and occupational mobility in Latin America than they have in the North. Similar in their racial proportions and in their plantation agriculture, Cuba and Virginia make excellent comparative models. Mr. Klein's pathbreaking analysis considers legal structures, religion, economic development, and the position of freedmen. His conclusions provide essential background for understanding some of the complexities of contemporary race relations.