Plot summary, “New England Bound” by Wendy Warren in 6 Minutes - Book Review
1"New England Bound: Slavery and Colonization in Early America" is a historical book written by Wendy Warren. Published in 2016, the book explores the complex and often overlooked history of slavery in New England during the colonial era.
Wendy Warren's "New England Bound" focuses on the period from the 1630s to the 1660s, a time when the New England colonies were still in their early stages of development. The book sheds light on the connections between New England's economic growth, its settlers' aspirations, and the institution of slavery.
The book challenges the prevailing narrative that slavery was mainly a Southern institution, revealing that slavery was indeed present in New England and played a significant role in shaping the region's economy and society. Warren's research highlights how the exploitation of enslaved African labor was integral to New England's trade, industries, and agriculture.
Through meticulous archival research and analysis, "New England Bound" delves into the lives and experiences of enslaved individuals in the region. The book examines their struggles, resistance, and the legal and social structures that perpetuated their enslavement. It also explores the ways in which race and slavery intersected with other forms of social inequality and identity in colonial New England.
One of the key contributions of "New England Bound" is its illumination of the ways in which early New England settlers participated in the transatlantic slave trade and profited from the system of enslavement. The book challenges the notion of New England as a haven of freedom and reveals the region's deep entanglements with the global economy and the brutal exploitation of human labor.
Wendy Warren's work has been praised for its rigorous research and for expanding our understanding of American history by highlighting the complexity of slavery's impact on all regions of the country. "New England Bound" serves as an important addition to the scholarship on early American history, slavery, and the broader systems of power and exploitation that shaped the colonial era.