Rites of August First: Emancipation Day in the Black Atlantic World

by J.R. Kerr-Ritchie and Jeffrey R. Kerr-Ritchie

Book Overview

Thirty years before Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the antislavery movement won its first victory in the British Parliament. On August 1, 1834, the Abolition of Slavery Bill took effect, ending colonial slavery throughout the British Empire. Over the next three decades, "August First Day," also known as "West India Day" and "Emancipation Day," became the most important annual celebration of emancipation among people of African descent...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807143642
• ISBN13: 9780807143643
• Release Date: December 2011
• Publisher: LSU Press
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"