Slavery By Any Other Name

One of the best books I’ve read this year was called “Slavery By Any Other Name: The Re-Enslavement of Blacks in America from the Civil War through World War II” by Douglas Blackmon. The book focuses on the convict labor system that developed in the South and the author brilliantly crafts the book around specific examples. It’s a part of history I knew little, if anything about. It will enlighten you on the times our ancestors in 1900, 1910, 1920, etc. suffered under especially if they were indigent. It’s good background for writing your family history especially if your family lived in one of the areas where this ran rampant (Alabama was one). I found a terrific 2-part DemocracyNow! interview with the author that I am posting below. His discussions about the Chattahootchie(sp?) Brick Yard outside Atlanta, the banking system’s complicity, and World War II putting an end to most of it are intriguing. (There’s about a 1:15 minute photo/song montage at the beginning, then the interview will start.)

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