Introduction

In the introduction of Adam Hochschild's book Bury the Chain, he starts to discuss how slavery was affected by the abolitionist movement in Britain. He looks back into the 17th thru 19th centuries the harsh conditions of the slaves at that time, moving from their native countries to the new colonies of Northern America. In addition to slavery in North America he points out that it was very prominent all over the Americas. "Looking back today, what is even more astonishing than the pervasiveness of slavery in the late 1700's is how swiftly it died". That is Hochschild's next main focus, on the abolitionist movement and how these men and women worked together to bring an end to slavery in the new colonies, and how literature was so important to his movement. The slavery in the new colonies, and how literature was so important to this movement. The author seems to fully support the British abolitionist and seems to point out that their story and involvement in the end of slavery is more important than we seem to think.