The half has never been told

This book by Edward E. Baptist argues that slavery was essential to the development of American capitalism.

It explores the expansion and practices of chattel slavery, the economic engine driven by enslaved people, and the financial mechanisms such as letters of credit and banks that fueled land speculation and the westward expansion of slavery.

The narrative includes intimate slave narratives, plantation records, newspapers, and the words of politicians, entrepreneurs, and escaped slaves.

Baptist challenges traditional narratives of slavery, highlighting the agency and resistance of enslaved people and their significant role in their own emancipation during the Civil War.