In Pursuit of Slaves

Captain John Gabriel Stedman (1744-1797) was a professional soldier who fought to suppress an 18th-century slave rebellion in Suriname and subsequently published the March Through a Swamp in Pursuit of Slaves. Although slavery was not abolished in Suriname until 1873, the publication of Stedman’s narrative in 1790 helped to erode public support for the slave trade in Europe and its colonies. The book was translated into several languages and published in more than 25 editions. Stedman’s descriptions of the brutality of plantation life debunked the myth that slavery was a benign, civilizing influence. By his own admission, Stedman was a mercenary, who also told the truth, and his narrative endures as a case study of violence and human rights abuses. To counter the argument that slaves were better off on New World plantations than living under comparatively primitive conditions in their native lands, Stedman storied that in the Maroon rebellion the slaves preferred to endure hardships and fight in order to escape get their freedom.

JAMA. 2015;314(5):434-435