New York University Press Archives

Mutiny on the Rising Sun: A Tragic Tale of Slavery, Smuggling, and Chocolate

A little-known story of mutiny and murder illustrating the centrality of smuggling and slavery in early American society

On the night of June 1, 1743, terror struck the schooner Rising Sun. After completing a routine smuggling voyage where the crew sold enslaved Africans in exchange for chocolate, sugar, and coffee in the Dutch colony of Suriname, the ship traveled eastward along the South American coast. Believing there was an opportunity to steal the lucrative cargo and make a new life for themselves, three sailors snuck below deck, murdered four people, and seized control of the vessel. […Learn More]

Book Cover of The Black Civil War Soldier: A Visual History of Conflct and Citizenship by Deborah Willis

The Black Civil War Soldier: A Visual History of Conflict and Citizenship

A stunning collection of stoic portraits and intimate ephemera from the lives of Black Civil War soldiers

Though both the Union and Confederate armies excluded African American men from their initial calls to arms, many of the men who eventually served were black. Simultaneously, photography culture blossomed―marking the Civil War as the first conflict to be extensively documented through photographs. […Learn More]

Unfreedom: Slavery and Dependence in Eighteenth-Century Boston

Reveals the lived experience of slaves in eighteenth-century Boston

Instead of relying on the traditional dichotomy of slavery and freedom, Hardesty argues we should understand slavery in Boston as part of a continuum of unfreedom. In this context, African slavery existed alongside many other forms of oppression, including Native American slavery, indentured servitude, apprenticeship, and pauper apprenticeship. […Learn More]

The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea During the Great Irish Famine

A vivid, new portrait of Irish migration through the letters and diaries of those who fled their homeland during the Great Famine

The standard story of the exodus during Ireland’s Great Famine is one of tired clichés, half-truths, and dry statistics. In The Coffin Ship, a groundbreaking work of transnational history, Cian T. McMahon offers a vibrant, fresh perspective on an oft-ignored but vital component of the migration experience: the journey itself. […Learn More]