Brooding over Bloody Revenge

Author: Nikki M. Taylor

USA | c 1500 to c 1600 | c 1600 to c 1700 | c 1700 to c 1800 | c 1800 to c 1900 | History of the Americas | Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 | Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 | Slavery & abolition of slavery | Gender studies: women

Published on 9^th January 2025 by Cambridge University Press in the United Kingdom.

Paperback / softback | 256 pages, Worked examples or Exercises
138mm x 216mm x 16mm | 332g

From the colonial through the antebellum era, enslaved women in the US used lethal force as the ultimate form of resistance. By amplifying their voices and experiences, Brooding over Bloody Revenge strongly challenges assumptions that enslaved women only participated in covert, non-violent forms of resistance, when in fact they consistently seized justice for themselves and organized toward revolt. Nikki M. Taylor expertly reveals how women killed for deeply personal instances of injustice committed by their owners. The stories presented, which span centuries and legal contexts, demonstrate that these acts of lethal force were carefully pre-meditated. Enslaved women planned how and when their enslavers would die, what weapons and accomplices were necessary, and how to evade capture in the aftermath. Original and compelling, Brooding Over Bloody Revenge presents a window into the lives and philosophies of enslaved women who had their own ideas about justice and how to achieve it.