Between Blood and Gold: The Debates over Compensation for Slavery in the Americas

Today, a century and a half after the abolition of slavery across most of the Americas, the idea of monetary reparations for former slaves and their descendants continues to be a controversial one. Lost among these debates, however, is the fact that such payments were widespread in the 19th century-except the "victims" were not slaves, but the slaveholders deprived of their labor. This landmark comparative study analyzes the debates over compensation within France and Great Britain. It lays out in unprecedented detail the philosophical, legal-political, and economic factors at play, establishing a powerful new model for understanding the aftermath of slavery in the Americas.

Introduction: Compensation as a Driving Force for Abolition Chapter 1. Compensation: An Issue at the Heart of a Democratic Debate Chapter 2. Between Legalism and Humanism: Compensation for Eminent Domain? Chapter 3. Compensation's Economic and Social Dimension: Compensation as Aid Chapter 4. Compensation's Political Side: A Means of Ensuring Colonial Cooperation Epilogue: The Many-Faceted Issue of Compensation Bibliography Index