Chained to History

Winner of the 2022 Phillis Wheatley Book Award, Historical-Academic Nonfiction


In Chained to History, Steven J. Brady centers slavery in America's pre–Civil War foreign relations. From the aftermath of the American Revolution, Brady examines how slavery influenced military, economic, and moral diplomatic challenges. He demonstrates how slavery intertwined with America's foreign policy, affecting trade, extradition treaties, and military alliances.


Brady highlights the constraints on American policymakers, who, despite an international shift toward abolition, were limited by the proslavery interests of the Democratic Party. As global powers abolished slavery, the American stance became increasingly untenable.


From the Age of Revolutions through the Civil War, slavery consistently shaped US relations with the Atlantic World and beyond. Chained to History explores this crucial issue comprehensively, revealing how the practice of human bondage influenced America's reentry into the global community after 1865.