As a native of the South Carolina Lowcountry, I encountered this meticulously researched book as an undergrad. Seeing my ancestral community given impressive agency and represented in such a deeply engaged way moved me profoundly. Black Majority is a must-read that will inspire generations to come.--LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
By devoting thorough research and thoughtful attention to a long-neglected place and time, Peter H. Wood single-handedly altered the direction of early American history and our views of American slavery and racism. Black Majority vividly captures the endurance and influence of enslaved people in the face of intensifying repression, and it makes crystal clear why those formative years of American enslavement matter to all of us. This anniversary edition is both timely and inspirational.--Daniel H. Usner, Vanderbilt University
Easily the most thorough and the most penetrating case study yet written of the Afro-American population during the slave period.... Fascinating and instructive.--Jack P. Greene
Mr. Wood has gone beyond any previous study of the history of slavery in the colonial period.... He has given us new perspectives not only on slavery but on human relationships in early America.--Edmund S. Morgan, author of American Slavery / American Freedom