Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History - Softcover

DeWolf, Thomas Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807072826 ISBN 13: 9780807072820

Publisher: Beacon Press, 2009

Synopsis

In 2001, Thomas DeWolf discovered that he was related to the most successful slave-trading family in U.S. history, responsible for transporting at least ten thousand Africans. This is his memoir of the journey in which ten family members retraced their ancestors' steps through the notorious triangle trade route—from New England to West Africa to Cuba—and uncovered the hidden history of New England and the other northern states.

About this title

About the Author:

Thomas Norman DeWolf is the author of Inheriting the Trade and co-author (with Sharon Leslie Morgan) of Gather at the Table. He is featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on the acclaimed PBS series POV. DeWolf speaks regularly about healing from the legacy of slavery and racism at colleges, conferences, and workshops throughout the United States.

From AudioFile:

When a cousin decided to make a documentary about the DeWolf family's slave-trading past, Thomas Norman DeWolf joined several family members on a journey to retrace the routes of his family's slave ships from Ghana to Cuba and the United States. DeWolf's voice reflects his admitted naïveté--at times too much so--as he discusses his growing awareness and shame over ancestor James DeWolf's role in the Triangle Trade. The author's descriptions of the places and history he discovered along the journey are powerful, and the topic is both compelling and important. However, the personal angle--the making of the documentary and the family discussions--distracts at times from the listener's understanding of and coming to terms with the horrors of the slave trade. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0807072826
• ISBN 13: 9780807072820
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280