Though The Heavens May Fall
The Landmark Trial that Led to the End of Human Slavery
Published on 2. February 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-84413-430-4 (ISBN)
Description
Perhaps no trial changed the course of history as much as one that took place in London in 1772: the case of James Somerset, a black man rescued from a ship bound for the West Indies slave markets. Two encompassing worldviews clashed in an event of passionate drama and far-reaching significance. Now the legal historian Steven M. Wise recreates each exciting moment of the case that slave owners contended would do nothing less than bring the economy of the British Empire to a crashing halt.
In the gripping story of Somerset's trial - and the slave trials that led up to it - Wise sets the stage for the extraordinary decision by the notoriously conservative judge, Lord Mansfield, which set in motion the abolition of slavery in both England and the United States. As the case drew to a close and defenders of slavery pleaded with Lord Mansfield to maintain the system, the judge spoke the words that continue to resound more than two centuries later: 'Let Justice be done, though the Heavens may fall.'
In the gripping story of Somerset's trial - and the slave trials that led up to it - Wise sets the stage for the extraordinary decision by the notoriously conservative judge, Lord Mansfield, which set in motion the abolition of slavery in both England and the United States. As the case drew to a close and defenders of slavery pleaded with Lord Mansfield to maintain the system, the judge spoke the words that continue to resound more than two centuries later: 'Let Justice be done, though the Heavens may fall.'
Reviews / Votes
[Wise] has an eye for evocative detail and an interest in the trappings and procedures of an 18th-century courtroom that do as much to engage the reader as the drama of the trials themselves * New York Times Book Review * Steven Wise's excellent book brings home the drama of this landmark case in the history of human rights -- J. M. Coetzee [Wise] reminds us how a committed minority can persuade a majority to see what at first they cannot or do not want to see * The Economist * A complex and absorbing look at the legal and social forces that eventually led to the outcry against slavery throughout the Western world -- Vernon Ford * Booklist *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Illustrations
8
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
425 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84413-430-4 (9781844134304)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Steven M. Wise, J.D., has taught at the Harvard, Vermont, and John Marshall law schools. He is president of the Center for the Expansion of Fundamental Rights, which he founded in 1995. Wise's articles and books probe the roots of Western law. His books, which include Rattling the Cage and Drawing the Line, have been critically acclaimed worldwide.