Soul by Soul: Life in the Antebellum Slave Trade Market

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Soul by Soul: Life in the Antebellum Slave Trade Market
The book, “Soul by Soul,” was authored by Walter Johnson in 1999. “Soul by Soul” is a manifestation of the slavery in Antebellum America. The author not only focuses on the cotton plantations but, also on the slavery market. The author gives readers insight concerning the slave market situated in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, New Orleans market is the largest of all the markets. Johnson’s book emerges the first one to discuss slavery in American markets. The author gives a clear description of ways in which slaves were traded in America (Johnson 1-9). This paper will examine and explore “Life in the Antebellum Slave Trade Market” apropos of the book, “Soul by Soul”.
As prior mentioned, Johnson’s book has its focus on the slave market in New Orleans. To be precise, the discussion takes place before the emergence of the American Civil War. The author begins by writing about “The Chattel Principle,” which refers to the notion of altering the identity of slaves. Also, he compares this alteration to the ease of slaves price change in the markets. In the first chapter, the book outlines that the slave markets were highly protected. The slaves were treasured. Thus, they were duped to acknowledge themselves as valuable property. Johnson identifies the paternalism that was present in these markets. In fact, he emphasizes that the existence of t…