Synopses & Reviews
This magisterial work traces the history of our most cherished value. Patterson links the birth of freedom in primitive societies with the institution of slavery, and traces the evolution of three forms of freedom in the West from antiquity through the Middle Ages.
Synopsis
The National Book Award Winner for 1991--a magisterial work that traces the history of our most cherished value. The first history of freedom from ancient to modern times, this book links the birth of freedom in primitive societies with the institution of slavery. "An extraordinary achievement . . . astonishingly wide ranging".--Boston Globe. Index. Illustrations.
About the Author
Orlando Patterson is the John Cowles Professor of Sociology at Harvard University.