Book · 2016
The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America
by Andrés Reséndez
Andres Resendez reconstructs five centuries of Indian enslavement in the Americas — a system that ran parallel to African chattel slavery and outlasted it.
What does Reddit think of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America?
Twenty-one mentions across two subreddits over seven years, and 18 of them live in r/AskHistorians. That concentration tells you what the book is: a specialist citation, not a general-audience breakout. The three mentions in r/history are older (last seen in 2021) and appear in reading-list threads on Native North American history. The clearest signal comes from the ↑223 comment in r/AskHistorians, where a historian calls it "the single best book to understand the geographic and temporal impact of the indigenous slave trade." That's a pointed claim about scope and utility, and nobody in the data pushes back. The ↑1854 thread, an indigenous-history reading list, drops it into the intermediate tier alongside other contact-period titles. Resendez's specific argument — that Indian enslavement ran from the earliest Spanish incursions through the late nineteenth century, affecting perhaps 2.5 million people — makes it a structural counterpart to the African-slavery narrative rather than a footnote to it.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Indian enslavement in Spanish colonial America
- · The geographic and temporal span of the indigenous slave trade
- · Structural parallels between Indian and African chattel slavery
- · Contact-period violence and labor extraction
- · Indigenous history historiography
Common praise
- + The ↑223 r/AskHistorians comment calls it the single best book on the geographic and temporal impact of the indigenous slave trade — a specific claim that no commenter in the data disputes.
- + Appears repeatedly in curated reading lists by historians who specialize in indigenous history and the contact period, surviving seven years of thread activity without being displaced.
- + Frames Indian enslavement as a parallel system to African chattel slavery rather than a footnote, which gives readers a structural argument they can use across other history reading.
Common criticism
- − No commenter in the 21 mentions registers a complaint about the argument or the prose, but the book never surfaces outside specialist threads — it hasn't crossed into casual recommendation territory.
- − The r/history mentions dry up after 2021, suggesting the book's reach may not be expanding into general history audiences the way some contact-period titles have.
Who it's for
Readers already working through indigenous or colonial history who want the argument that fills the gap left by African-slavery-centric narratives. The r/AskHistorians historians who cite it most often (17 of the 20 total mentions) treat it as the authoritative text on indigenous slave trade scope — if that question interests you, this is where Reddit sends you. Students in courses on the colonial Americas or Native North American history will find it aligns with the syllabi those threads recommend. If you're looking for an entry-level survey, the same r/AskHistorians lists that include this book consistently front-load Charles Mann's 1491 first.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“That's great that you want to learn more about U.S. history! I focus on indigenous history, as well as the indigenous slave trade, and in the list below highlight some of my favorite books, with a little nod to Texas/Western U.S. history. I'm going to recommend some of my favorites below, in a roug…
“One of the factors that gets frequently overlooked in all of this is enslavement. And enslavement in the southeast was primarily a British affair. Virginia was established in 1607 at Jamestown, and after devastating Tsenacommacah (the Powhatan Confederacy) through warfare numerous Virginians turned …
“Cameron's work is terrific. It always strikes me as being so thoughtful and interesting. From a historian's perspective, I'd also like to point out (in case you haven't seen them yet): * John Putnam Demos, *The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America* (New York: Vintage Books, 1994). …
“Not entirely sure where the ‘post apocalyptic hellhole’ came from. The 95% population decline due to disease is old information. Virgin Soil thesis leans heavily on disease and American Indians supposed lack of immunological response. It’s a trifecta of disease, slavery, and warfare that contribut…
“##Part 3 *Big Picture* (This section relates specifically to the question I originally wrote this answer for, but it is relevant here) In this part, I want to address more specifically the body of your question. It isn't exactly what you were asking about, but it can help elaborate on where this k…
“Enslavement of Native Americans began from the first Spanish settlement. Much of the Caribbean was depopulated of its indigenous population in the early 16th century by a widespread network of Spanish slave raiders, who would take enslaved indigenous peoples to work in deadly occupations like pearl …
“Settlers absolutely did enslave indigenous peoples in what is today the United States. More can always be said, but you may find [this post](
Convinced? Pick up The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America — frequently asked
What does Reddit think of The Other Slavery?+
Consistent specialist endorsement with no dissent. All 21 mentions come from r/AskHistorians (18) and r/history (3), and the clearest verdict is the ↑223 comment calling it 'the single best book to understand the geographic and temporal impact of the indigenous slave trade.' That framing recurs in other threads without challenge. It's a book historians recommend to other historians, or to readers who've already built some foundation in the period.
Is The Other Slavery a good starting point for indigenous history?+
Depends on where you're starting. The r/AskHistorians reading lists that include it — including the ↑1854 thread — typically place introductory titles like 1491 before it. The book's argument assumes familiarity with the broad outlines of Spanish colonialism and the contact period. Readers who already have that context will find it more rewarding than those coming in cold.
Which subreddits recommend The Other Slavery, and how often?+
r/AskHistorians accounts for 17 of the 20 total mentions, almost always in curated indigenous-history or colonial-Americas reading lists. r/history contributes 3 mentions, last tracked in 2021. There's no activity outside those two subs in the data. The r/AskHistorians concentration is about as high as it gets for a history title in this dataset.
How does The Other Slavery fit alongside other books on American slavery?+
Reddit positions it as a structural parallel to, not a replacement for, the African chattel slavery literature. The ↑223 r/AskHistorians comment frames it specifically around geographic and temporal scope — the indigenous slave trade ran from the earliest Spanish incursions into the late nineteenth century. Commenters treat it as filling a distinct gap rather than competing with titles focused on the transatlantic trade.