Proscription by Degrees

In this book, Kenneth Morgan provides the most comprehensive account of the abolition of the slave trade to the United States since W. E. B. Du Bois's 1896 The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638–1870. Utilising a wider range of resources and exploring the economic, social, moral and political considerations, Morgan creates a multi-layered account that explains why
abolition was a protracted affair that proceeded by degrees over nearly half a century. He appraises the role of abolitionist individuals, groups and societies in bringing abolition to the forefront of public discussion across North America, and the decisive role of the US Constitution and the Constitutional Convention that eventually led to proscription in 1808, which made abolition constitutionally possible.

• Utilizes a wide range of resources to create the most up-to-date assessment of the abolition of the slave trade to the United States
• Sheds light on how abolition in the United States was a gradual process that extended over many years
• Reveals the extent of how groups, societies, and individuals played their part in bringing abolition to the forefront of public discussion