University of Maryland Distinguished University Professor Ira Berlin suggests that the unique circumstances of American slavery continue to shape the nation even today. In his lecture, professor Ira Berlin discussed his book Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves, published by Harvard University Press. He traced the history of slavery from its 17th-century origins to its demise in the U.S. during the Civil War. According to Berlin, slavery has emerged as a central issue in contemporary American white. Also, without question slavery has a “greater” presence now than it has at any time since the end of American Civil War. One of the reason for this is simply because American history cannot be understood without slavery.