More than a century after Emancipation, no comprehensive overview of the history of the female American slave exists. In this book, historian Emily West offers the first comprehensive overview of the lives of enslaved women in America by placing their stories within the broader context of slavery in this country from the colonial era through to the end of the Civil War. She compares the lives of enslaved women with the lives of enslaved men from the same period, and with the white men and women who unjustly held them in bondage. West’s thorough research and eye for detail construct a narrative of the enslaved woman’s life, giving voice to and revealing the significance of a singularly strong but largely overlooked member of early American society.

"West examines the experiences of enslaved African American women from the 16th-century African slave trade to the 19th-century Reconstruction era. Part of the publisher's African American History Series, this text synthesizes numerous valuable details about slave women’s experiences while still being concise enough not to overwhelm nonexperts. Significant to the book is the explication of women’s social and cultural experiences, including their familial and labor expectations. West also carefully weaves in elements of the political and economic climate in order to illustrate how local as well as national forces played a role in the average bondwoman’s life. In addition to the detailed narrative, also significant is the inclusion of select primary sources that demonstrate the true experiences of enslaved women by those who underwent and witnessed them. Ideal for collections in US history, women’s history, and the history of American slavery, or for average readers who want to truly understand the experiences of enslaved American women of the past. Summing Up: Recommended. General collections through graduate libraries." - CHOICE

"This volume would be a suitable introduction to slavery for first- or second-year undergraduates. And not to be overlooked, the primary documents section includes a number of well-chosen WPA interviews: they are vivid material for lively class discussions." - Journal of Southern History