Chained to History: Slavery and US Foreign Relations to 1865

Chained to History by Steven J. Brady examines how slavery shaped America's place in the world before the Civil War, highlighting the constraints on policymakers and the moral implications of human bondage.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2022
Publisher: Cornell University Press

In his book "Chained to History," Steven J. Brady delves into the intricate relationship between slavery and America's place in the world in the years leading up to the catastrophic Civil War. Starting from the immediate aftermath of the War of the American Revolution, Brady traces the military, economic, and moral dimensions of the diplomatic challenges posed by the management of human servitude in a nation that professed the values of human freedom.

Chained to History vividly illustrates how slavery was intricately woven into America's foreign relations, influencing policy controversies ranging from trade agreements to extradition treaties to military alliances. Brady underscores the constraints imposed on American policymakers, who, operating within an increasingly abolitionist international context, faced severe limitations in formulating and implementing their preferred policies. The slave interest, deeply entrenched within the Democratic Party, and the turbulent state of domestic politics heavily influenced the conduct of foreign affairs. As international powers abolished the slave trade and outlawed human servitude altogether, the American position became increasingly untenable.

From the Age of Revolutions to the American Civil War, slavery played a persistent role in shaping US relations with the Atlantic World and beyond. "Chained to History" comprehensively addresses this critical topic, shedding light on the immoral practice of human bondage and its profound impact on how the United States re-entered the international community after 1865.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501761058