'We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident...'

An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Roots of Racism and Slavery in America

By (author) Kenneth N. Addison

Hardback - £112.00

Publication date:

16 May 2009

Length of book:

560 pages

Publisher

UPA

ISBN-13: 9780761843290

"We hold these truths to be self evident…" An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Roots of Racism and Slavery in America delves into the philosophical, historical, socio/cultural and political evolution of racism and slavery in America. The premise of this work is that racism and slavery in America are the result of an unintentional historical intertwining of various Western philosophical, religious, cultural, social, economic, and political strands of thought that date back to the Classical Era. These strands have become tangled in a Gordian knot, which can only be unraveled through the bold application of a variety of multidisciplinary tools. By doing so, this book is intended help the reader understand how the United States, a nation that claims "all men are created equal," could be responsible for slavery and the intractable threads of racism and inequality that have become woven into its cultural the fabric.
With rigorous historical analysis that excavates the centrality of white supremacy to institutions and beliefs that constitute the very core of the United States, We Hold These Truths offers fresh insights into the complexity of contemporary debates surrounding race and power. Readers will be moved to think, and more importantly to act, by Addison's evocative writing, detailed analysis and striking imagery. An iconoclastic text, We Hold These Truths is a must-read for students invested in economic, gender and racial justice, across the disciplines.