Pulitzer Prize General Non Fiction Winner

Slavery by Another Name

by Douglas A. Blackmon

Summary

An investigation into the systems of convict leasing, debt peonage, and forced labor that re-enslaved tens of thousands of Black Americans from Reconstruction through the Second World War. Blackmon mines court records, corporate archives, and family histories to show how Southern industries and local governments collaborated to extract free labor under cover of law. The book reframes the standard chronology of American slavery and its end.

Historical Context & Significance

Blackmon proved that "slavery" didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation but was legally re-branded to provide free labor for Southern industries.