Though the Heavens May Fall: The Landmark Trial That Led to the End of Human Slavery

How one man's case changed the trajectory of slavery and the global abolition movement forever.

The case of James Somerset, an escaped slave, in June of 1772 in London's Westminster Hall was a decisive turning point in human history. Steven Wise has uncovered fascinating new revelations in this case, which statesmen of the time threatened would bring the economy of the British Empire to a crashing halt. In a gripping, hour-by-hour narrative of the trial and the inflamed participants, Wise l...