I wouldn't be using this space well if I didn't make at least
one plug for my new book The Hierarchies of Slavery in Santos,
Brazil: 1822-1888, (Stanford University Press, 2011) The book
argues that slavery was hierarchical and slave opportunities for
action often dependent on their position and the prestige of
their owner. We typically think that all slaves were treated
with equal brutality, but this was certainly not the case. In
Southeastern Brazil at least, doors opened or closed for all
kinds of important opportunities -- including freedom -- at
different times for different slaves. Slaves of wealthy owners
may have faced some greater hardships (i.e., stricter
observation, more jailtime for offenses), but they were often
more likely to receive medical attention and live in more
comfortable settings. Slaves, of course, were not oblivious to
inequities within bondage. I believe this tempered some
rebelliousness slaves felt toward the institution as a whole. If
life offered "opportunities" within slavery an