The Power to Die: Slavery and Suicide in British North America

"[A] well-written exploration of the cultural and legal meanings of slave suicide in British North America . . . far-reaching, compelling, and relevant." —Choice

The history of slavery in early America is a history of suicide. On ships crossing the Atlantic, enslaved men and women refused to eat or leaped into the ocean. They strangled or hanged themselves. They tore open their own throats. In America, they jumped into rivers or out of windows, or even ran into burning buildings. Faced with...