First published in 1839, this work was edited by the evangelist and noted abolitionist Theodore Dwight Weld (1803-95). It is an extensive collection of first-hand testimony and narratives by slaveholders describing the facts and highlighting the cruelty of the slave trade. One of the most influential books of the anti-slavery movement, it aimed to document the current condition of slaves in the United States, covering all aspects of their lives, in order to further the abolition movement. Weld presents accounts of slaves' food, clothing, living conditions, working hours, and their punishments and suffering. This is interspersed with personal narratives from contributors which corroborate each other, presented in a detached, unsensational manner. Great pains were taken in compiling this work to emphasise the trustworthy nature of Weld's contributors so that there could be no doubt of the authenticity of their claims and the need for an end to slavery.
