Books by Mark Fleszar
Journal of the Civil War Era, 2012
Authored Chapter One: "Historical Understandings of Africa" (November 2007) and published Februar... more Authored Chapter One: "Historical Understandings of Africa" (November 2007) and published February 2008 by the American Book Company.
Book Reviews by Mark Fleszar
Itinerario: Journal of Imperial and Global Interactions, 2019
Ininerario: Journal of Imperial and Global Interactions, 2016
Overall, these concerns should not detract from the accomplishments of this study, which is treme... more Overall, these concerns should not detract from the accomplishments of this study, which is tremendously effective in capturing the outlooks and attitudes of genteel women in the British colonies. Lawrence's rigorous research has enabled her to amplify female voice across a spectrum of geographic settings, illuminating women's manifold domestic contributions to the imperial project and blurring the tidy lines between public and private spheres in the process. This text surely warrants consideration for inclusion on reading lists for upper-division and graduate-level course offerings centred on an assortment of themes, including women's history, British history and European colonial history. In the latter two cases, the ability of Genteel Women to highlight women's subtler participation in the process of empire would undoubtedly work towards harmonizing male-dominated political narratives.
H-Florida
Review of William C. Van Norman Jr. 'Shade-Grown Slavery: The Lives of Slaves on Coffee Plantatio... more Review of William C. Van Norman Jr. 'Shade-Grown Slavery: The Lives of Slaves on Coffee Plantations in Cuba'.
"Review of 'Colonization after Emancipation: Lincoln and the Movement for Black Resettlement,' by... more "Review of 'Colonization after Emancipation: Lincoln and the Movement for Black Resettlement,' by Phillip W. Magness and Sebastian N. Page," Journal of the Civil War Era 3 (June 2013): 267-69.
Review of Margaret Abruzzo, 'Polemical Pain: Slavery, Cruelty, and the Rise of Humanitarianism'
Review of Patricia Roberts-Miller, 'Fanatical Schemes: Proslavery Rhetoric and the Tragedy of Con... more Review of Patricia Roberts-Miller, 'Fanatical Schemes: Proslavery Rhetoric and the Tragedy of Consensus'
Talks by Mark Fleszar
Papers by Mark Fleszar
The Journal of the Civil War Era, 2013
small degree, this was happening early in the war” (6), but the same reasoning applies to a numbe... more small degree, this was happening early in the war” (6), but the same reasoning applies to a number of reports of entire black Confederate regiments. Of course, many people inaccurately reported witches at Salem and weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And if, as Brasher argues, the confusion of battle led northerners mistakenly to think they had seen thousands of black Confederate soldiers, then why should we trust that they accurately picked out the race of a single sniper? Reports of black Confederate snipers deserve particular scrutiny, because they beg questions such as how many slaves had the requisite expertise in fi rearms and how likely was it that whites trusted slaves to operate them? In addition, as Brasher himself demonstrates, northern reports of black Confederates disappeared after they had served their purpose. Brasher is right that historians should not simply dismiss claims of black Confederate soldiers, and given the huge numbers of people involved, it is likely that at least a few blacks fought for the Confederacy. But we need compelling evidence and rigorous arguments to confi rm that African Americans fought in combat for the Confederacy, and Brasher presents neither. Brasher’s poor handling of the black Confederate issue is troubling because his book is aimed at both an academic and a popular audience. It is easy to see nonacademics using Brasher’s book to support the black Confederate legend. Indeed, the fi rst user review of the book on Amazon applauds Brasher for handling the issue of “‘Black Confederates’ with objectivity” and states that “slaves fought on both sides.” For academics Brasher has done a nice job of weaving together well-known political, military, and social history to create a valuable new way of viewing the Peninsula campaign and emancipation. Andrew L. Slap
The Journal of the Civil War Era, 2012
Itinerario, Dec 1, 2019
meticulous data analysis to chart the islands’ demographic makeup. In doing so, the author corral... more meticulous data analysis to chart the islands’ demographic makeup. In doing so, the author corrals disparate populations to argue for the central place of the Antilles in France’s late-nineteenth crises of identity. Church’s historiographical approach is likewise sound. He positions Paradise Destroyed as doing for the Third Republic what Laurent Dubois’ Colony of Citizens and Avengers of the New World (both 2004) accomplished for the First; events in France’s Caribbean colonies defined the nature of French citizenship in the metropole at a time of upheaval and uncertainty (9–10). To do so, Church leans on the extensive secondary literature on late-nineteenth century France, and to good effect. The author provides a robust scholarly context for his insistence that Antillean disasters triggered alterations in metropolitan French attitudes towards citizenship and belonging and is most persuasive for doing so. Due to its sweeping and multifaceted scope, in the hands of a lesser scholar, Paradise Destroyed could well have been a calamity. Church’s clarity of prose, care in source presentation, and justification for his narratives’ importance allow the work to be a fresh and thoughtprovoking read. Scholars of environmental and Caribbean history are undeniable audiences for the book, but Church’s work reaches further. Those interested in the Ages of American colonisation, Revolutions, and Emancipation would do well to consult Church’s conclusions if only to understand their own analyses’ reverberations into the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
vi Many archives, archivists, and personnel were particularly helpful for this project. Although ... more vi Many archives, archivists, and personnel were particularly helpful for this project. Although they have since moved on to other pursuits, Carol and Roger Clark at the Kingsley Plantation helped me a tremendous amount from day one. From tracking down obscure documents to offering invaluable information, they were second to none. At the St. Augustine History Society Research Library my visits were quite productive because of Robert Nawrocki, Charles Tingley, and Dr. Susan Parker. Very special thanks to Dr. James Cusick at the University of Florida for his invaluable expertise and willingness to explain matters however small.
Baker deserve many thanks for allowing me to complete this project while constantly supporting my... more Baker deserve many thanks for allowing me to complete this project while constantly supporting my efforts with poignant questions and their valuable time. Dr. Michele B. Reid provided her expertise on the Latin American and Caribbean worlds of the Atlantic and gave me excellent advice and suggestions. I am especially indebted to Dr. Jeffrey Robert Young of the Honors Program at GSU as well; he graciously gave me quite a bit of time, despite a hectic schedule, to discuss the multiple layers of this work and shared with me his frightening amount of historiographical knowledge. Special thanks to the GSU History Department for their funding opportunities and efforts to make my time there as pleasant as possible. Several individuals made my research trips successful and pleasurable. I would especially like to thank Zachary Elder and Janie C. Morris at Duke University; Dr. W. Todd Groce at the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah; Daryl E. Johnson at the New Brunswick Museum; Charles A. Tingley, Library Manager of the St. Augustine Historical Society; Dan Emerick and Joanna Norman at the State Library of Florida; and John R. Nemmers and the unrivalled knowledge and scholarship of Dr. James G. Cusick at the University of Florida. I would also like to extend my thanks to the employees at the Kingsley Plantation. My profound thanks especially to Park Rangers Carol S. Clark and Roger Clark for their time, energy, and kindness.
for inclusion in History Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State Un... more for inclusion in History Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
Nineteenth-century slaveholders of the Atlantic master class had many reasons to be concerned wit... more Nineteenth-century slaveholders of the Atlantic master class had many reasons to be concerned with the future. In a world ushered in with the aid of the Haitian Revolution, slave revolts in these sensitive times seemed to erupt with increased frequency, leaving greater destruction in their wakes. Abolition and a transatlantic antislavery movement appeared as determined crusades to bring an end not only to human suffering in black chattel slavery but to the system’s unsurpassed wealth. In this era of sweeping changes a vision of British West Indian society without slaves was first debated and then made a reality on 1 August 1834. In the months and years that followed British Emancipation, there was much to debate in the postslavery situation from what seemed like all quarters. Abolitionists scrutinized production levels and profits. Slaveowners clamored for compensation for losing property in persons and, on the whole, feared the complete breakdown of Caribbean society that was sure ...
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Books by Mark Fleszar
Book Reviews by Mark Fleszar
Talks by Mark Fleszar
Papers by Mark Fleszar