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Rough Crossings | 
 enlarge | Author: Simon Schama
Publisher: BBC Books
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
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You Save: £7.76 (86%)
New (17) Used (24) from £0.52
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 7591
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 500
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.4
ISBN: 0563493658
EAN: 9780563493655
ASIN: 0563493658
Publication Date: May 4, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Condition: In stock - Sent fast from British booksellers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 The extraordinary story of black loyalists and indefatigable abolitionists November 14, 2008
Simon Schama is not only one of Britain's leading historians but a story-teller par excellence. And he is not a historian with a political agenda; his compassion for the oppressed and the voiceless of history shines through every page of his writing. In this unashamedly populist account of the thousands of black slaves who chose to fight on the British side in the American War of Independence, he has fabulously rich subject matter. It is a tale of incalculable suffering, brutality, degradation and betrayal on one hand and of integrity, dedication, altruism and hope on the other. And it is not always straightforward. We learn of white men who risked their lives in the abolitionist cause and black men who became slavers when the opportunity arose.
Although we have been taught not to fall into the trap of judging past historical events with the values and concepts of the modern era I soon learnt that far from being universally accepted as a legitimate mode of commerce, there was a large body of individuals in England in the eighteenth century who were outraged by the obscenity of the transatlantic slave trade. Many of these were the celebrities of the day: man of letters Dr Johnson, actor David Garrick, pottery magnate Josiah Wedgewood and Darwin's botanist Joseph Banks. But Schama as ever concentrates on the unsung heroes and the hidden villains of history. He gives voice to many of the vocal, articulate blacks who, though understandably always reticent in trusting their white persecutors, nevertheless never lose faith either in British justice or in their abolitionist friends: Thomas Peters, Boston King, David George, Olaudah Equiano and the charismatic Frederick Douglass, even as many of them are buffeted between the Virginian and Carolinan plantations, freezing Nova Scotia and disease-ridden Sierra Leone.
Early in Rough Crossings we are introduced to obsessive abolitionist Granville Sharp who successfully defends in court James Somerset, one of London's thousands of black men who had escaped slavery in the colonies but who constantly faced the horror of recapture. The milestone decision of the court - that once a slave sets foot on English soil he becomes a free man - was to reverberate throughout the slave world. Concerned with the wretched plight of London's blacks Sharp then sets about resettling them voluntarily in a small community in Sierra Leone in West Africa, Sharp Town, the first such experiment but which faced monolithic political, social and environmental barriers to success. In spite of Sharp's best efforts, black-white hatred and suspicion constant bubbled beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, in America the result of the Somerset case had signalled to slaves there that British justice was honourable and fair and offered them their only hope of freedom. Consequently, thousands of them opted to abandon their masters and fight as loyalists on the side of the crown during the American War of Independence. Many of them joined the British Black Pioneers. They were encouraged by the struggling British government who had promised them land in return for military service. Of course, there were the usual disasters and betrayals, including one terrible incident when hundreds of blacks and their families weakened by smallpox were abandoned to die on the beach of the Virginian coast.
When the war ended in defeat for the British the black loyalists, far from being settled on arable plots of land to feed their families as they had hoped, instead found themselves freezing on a barren, rock-strewn wilderness in Nova Scotia maltreated and humiliated by the loyalist whites among whom they lived. Enter British naval officer and indefatigable abolitionist John Clarkson, brother of like-minded Thomas, incensed by the humiliation of the ex-slaves in the Canadian wasteland, most of whom were now servants or indentured labourers, shunned and maltreated by their white neighbours, little more than slaves again. Like Sharp, Clarkson felt that the only hope for them was a return to the warmth and cultural familiarity of West Africa and so the moribund Sharp Town community in Sierra Leone was kick-started again by a new influx of free black men. Much of the second half of the book describes the almost insurmountable problems faced by Clarkson as he prepares the voyage and resettlement of hundreds of black loyalists and the increasing number of white hangers-on; and then the hunger, disease, storms, squabbles, sabotage and treachery that constantly threatens to derail the project. We read of the unsteady growth of the beleaguered community, and the gradual emergence of an embryonic black democracy. From beginning to end this wonderful and moving historical narrative is empathetic, beautifully written and riveting to read. And for those who seek to supplement their knowledge there is a highly accessible and comprehensive reference list and a dramatis personae.
A Magnificent Piece of History February 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Simon Schama's Rough Crossings tells the story of the American revolution, the resettlement of slaves and others loyal to the British after the war. It covers a period from the 1770's up to the the turn of the century with a final part, up to the mid nineteenth century, that explores the beginnings and endings of history. The narrative roams three continents with a cast of characters that includes the bad and the good.
As a black man, I came to this book to learn about the experience of the slaves from yet another perspective. However, the book is so well written, the story told with such great style that I was quickly shifted from my narrow perspective and was drawn fully into the complexities of the revolution and its making.
The germ of the making of the revolution is clearly revealed by Schama. The scheming, the wheeler dealings and deceit are all there. An early passage in the book states: "In the experience of both David George and Boston King (the best sources we have for the experience of blacks in the Revolutionary War), the British could appear as both benefactors and theives, hard-hearted and kind-hearted; yet there was never any question about the ultimate allegiance of these two."
But Rough Crossings is more than a histoy of the American revolution; Britian's response and the experience of slaves, it is also a political and geographical history. In other works, it is also about the formation of 'states'. Schama's outline of the makings of settlements in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone is quite revealing of the politics of betrayal and brutishness that ensued. He clearly shows us life from the seedy to the pretentiousness of high civility. Pretentiousness to high civility that could never be obtained because these new societies carried within them the seeds from another place and time. In the early formation of these new colonies what begun to blossom again was racism. For example, in Nova Scotia, to keep the settlement of Shelburne free of the "frolicks" of negros the whites decided to create a settlement for the blacks - namely Birchtown. Here in lies the making of racial apartheid.
What also comes across clearly in this book is a history of greed and profitering at the expense of the slaves. One of the recurring themes was that the whole enterprise of the war and slavery was driven by profits. The drive for profits at the expense of human beings is painfully outlined in the story of captain Luke Collingwood. Rather than lose money by captured Africans dying during the passage from Africa to the Caribbean, during one passage Collingwood prepared and executed a plan to defruad his insures by casting live Africans into the sea.
Part two of this great history focuses on the efforts of John Clarkson to resettle "ex-slaves" and loyalist in Sierra Leone. In restrained almost understated language, Schama outlines how the hardships, the betrayals, the effects of indentured bonds and debts were experienced by "ex-slaves". It is a story of great human suffering, endurance and determination.
It is not just the content that makes the book highly readable. After all, the story has been told before in various guises. What also sustains the reading of this story is the way it is told. In part, Schama's style is rhetorical. This had the effect of sweeping me along with his narrative and persuading me into believing the content. Here is an example of Schama at the peak of rhetorical flourish as he describes how against poor conditions and experiences slaves were still prepared to join the British army: "For all the chaos and brutality; for all the untended sickness and the abandonment of the sick; for all the slaves forced on to public works, some of them even sent back to masters; for all the chronic uncertainty about their eventual fate; ... whereever the British army went, in big battalions or small, in North Carolina and then in Virginia, slaves still continue to pour into their camps by the score, then in hundreds and finally thousands."
Schama is detailed and scholarly whilst at the same time remaining sufficiently populist to allow his book to appeal to a broad readship. His command of the language is so great, his narrative flows so fluently that at times I had to read out aloud if only to hear an imagined voice and savour the text. Furthermore, Schama's descriptive passages are quite simply brilliant and dazzling. Take the long opening paragraph of part one. Here a vivid picture of aspects of life in London is presented. The reader can almost see the hustle and bustle of high and low life. As we read we can easily emerse ourselves into London life.
The truth is the apex to which the writer; whether historian, novelist or philosopher, must aim. In reading Rough Crossings, one is left with the clear impression that the truth is exactly what Schama achieves. He leaves no stone unturned, he shows us great acts of human kindness and the despicable, depravity of human behaviour. One example of the wide spectrum of human behaviour can be found in the story of Jonathan Stong, a London slave beaten almost beyond recognition by his master David Lisle, but rescued and rehabilitated by William Sharp. I was simply moved not just by the story but just as important Schama's ability to convey the pathos involved.
I think the best way to summarise Schama's achievement is to pay him a tribute. One senses that Schama's handling of his material and subject is second to none. He manages to achieve what I would think most historians aim at, that is the right balance between the narration of the story, description of scenes and events, and analysis of the underlying causes. This is a magnificent piece of history, please read it.
"A place like no other . . . " October 30, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Like the ships' journeys, this is a three part tale. For the ships, it was from some British port to the coast of Africa, thence - loaded with "live cargo" - across the Atlantic to the sales dock before returning to the British Isles. It is that "live cargo" that Schama deals with in this superbly written, but tragic, account of how Britain attempted to redeem itself for its role in the slave trade. When the British colonies in North America severed their link to the Crown, "liberty" was the ultimate cause. That "liberty" meant the right to make their own decisions, something the slave-holding colonists refused to apply to their African workers. If they could, slaves and free blacks thus bolted from certain captivity to a promise offered by the defeated imperial power.
The triad of sites in this book are London, North America - particularly Nova Scotia - and the African Coast. In London, a reformer group, led by Granville Sharp, arose to combat slavery and the trans-Atlantic trade in "live cargo". They were opposed by political inertia and the Caribbean sugar lobby of planters, shippers and agents. Escaped or manumitted slaves in North America had few refuges and London held as much promise as anywhere. Ghettos of black populations had grown up by the 1760s, and laboured under uncertain legal and social status. A colonist visiting the capital might seek a lost slave there, while press gangs could raid the black district of St Giles with near impunity. Schama depicts the twisted path of black status in England where Common Law declared that "no man might own another" with acerbic clarity. A court case that might have been a landmark decision resulted in mixed interpretations of the ruling.
Mixed or not, when the Thirteen Colonies rebelled a decade later, the British found it useful to entice slaves to desert masters. Projecting the idea that "no man might own another" at least to? the North American mainland, the British Army created black military forces and declared any soldier or civilian working for it, free. Defeat forced a massive relocation programme, with thousands of people transferred to Nova Scotia. In New York, "The Book of Negroes" was a catalogue of those newly emancipated people as a means of certifying their identity and status. One reason this remained necessary was that slave-owning Loyalists had no intention of releasing their property. Freed and enslaved was distinguished by certificates issued by the military and by such lists as "The Book".
Nova Scotia, as Schama well portrays, was not an unqualified success. The climate was anything but salubrious, nor was the economy ready for the influx of people. Pressures mounted until Birchtown became the first site of a race riot in North America. Another solution was needed and the London group found it in Sierra Leone. As tensions increased in Nova Scotia, Schama introduces the figure of John Clarkson, a Royal Navy officer who might be described as a principled navigator. In Schama's view, Clarkson became the Saviour of the Nova Scotia and some London freedmen. Clarkson's sacrifices were certainly worthy of sainthood - his career, his health and whatever income he possessed. The book's title is as applicable to Clarkson's journey from Halifax to Sierra Leone as any event related. Severe storms buffeted the fleet, while Clarkson lay prostrate in his cabin with what may have been meningitis. Sierra Leone was also beset by storms, of both weather and politics, as it struggled to gain the independence it had been promised. It never was truly free, as much as Clarkson and the settlers wished it so. Still, it was an enclave of hope, and at one point was actually the only place anywhere in the Atlantic world where free blacks had elected representatives and actually entered into the first black labour negotiations.
Schama's account of the struggles of black British subjects is long overdue. It will make uncomfortable reading for some - a testimony to its value and importance. The research foundation is impressively thorough. He handles personalities and situations with equal skill, and has no qualms about exposing the hypocrisies he encounters. The term "racism" doesn't appear in the book, but it doesn't have to. The statements and actions of those who would become leaders in "The Home of Liberty" are expressive enough. A fine, admirable and much-needed book, this needs a wide readership. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
A Voyage of Historical Revelation December 17, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
With so many historians writing about subjects already extensively covered, it is always a particular delight to find a book which tells a story unfamiliar to all but the the specialist. Simon Schama has found just such a subject in the chronicles of black Afro American slaves who fought for the British Crown in the American War of Independence in return for their freedom and the chance to start afresh in Canada and Seirra Leone.It is account full of exciting incident, vivid characters, idealism, betrayal, misfortune, courage and hypocrisy: it also makes for a cracking read. Those who might find the topic of slavery so immense as to be off putting will find this volume focussed, detailed and cleverly structured whilst some who find Schama's on screen persona irritating will find him a far more appealing on the printed page. Along the way we encounter the usual suspects: politicians who say one thing and do another, Southern plantation owners proclaiming their worship of liberty providing it doesn't apply to slaves and pious martinets who don't let humanity and commonsense get in the way of a moral sermon. Yet in the hard work and commitment of the freed slaves and the idealism of decent men like Granville Sharp and John Clarkson the story of struggle against enormous odds becomes inspiring. For those wanting an informed overview on the debate over the legality of slavery or differing transatlantic approaches to the notion of liberty or the roots of the quest for black political representation will find much of interest here, but if you just like a totally engrossing account of a fascinating historical episode, you cannot go wrong. One of the best popular history books of recent years without doubt.
How history should be written: accurate, interesting and accessible October 12, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Simon Schama's book deals with the history of a few thousand, in a war that concerned millions, while giving poignant examples from the personal few. He successful fits his story of the slaves who fought behind British lines into a larger picture of the civil war, and gives them a voice. To the reviewer who claimed this book is overcomplicated, I must simply argue that you're wrong. In this book, Schama writes clearly and is at all points captivating, if one wants an example of imaginative, yet no pretentious social history then one needs to look no further. With his unique style, he writes a book that could easily be a work of fiction were it not so thoroughly researched. Highly recommended to those with even the passing interest in history, it may win the subject some converts.
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