ECU Libraries Catalog

Beacons of liberty : international free soil and the fight for racial justice in antebellum America / Elena K. Abbott.

Author/creator Abbott, Elena K. author.
Format Book and Print
Publication Info Cambridge ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2021.
Descriptionvii, 328 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm
Subject(s)
United States. Fugitive slave law (1850)
Fugitive slave communities--Foreign countries --History --19th century.
Fugitive slaves--Foreign countries --History --19th century.
Free African Americans--Foreign countries --History --19th century.
African Americans--Foreign countries --Social conditions --19th century.
African Americans--Legal status, laws, etc.
Antislavery movements--United States --History --19th century.
United States--Emigration and immigration --History --19th century.
United States--Race relations --History --19th century.
Contents Reform and relocation : West Africa and Haiti in the early republic -- Exit and expansion : the search for legal equality in a time of crisis -- Departure and debate : free Black emigration to Canada and Mexico -- Assessing abolition : investigating the results of British emancipation -- Reputations and expectations : assessing migrant life in upper Canada -- Escape and escalation : self-emancipation and the geopolitics of freedom -- Free soil, fiction, and the Fugitive Slave Act -- Emigration and enmity : the meaning of free soil in a nation divided.
Abstract Before the Civil War, free African Americans and fugitive slaves crossed international borders to places like Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean in search of freedom and equality. Beacons of Liberty tells the story of how these bold migrants catalyzed contentious debates over citizenship, racial justice, and national character in the United States. Blending fresh historical analysis with incredible stories of escape and rebellion, Elena K. Abbott shows how the shifting geography of slavery and freedom beyond US borders helped shape the hopes and expectations of black radicals, white politicians, and fiery reformers engaged in the American anti-slavery movement. Featuring perspectives from activists and risk-takers like Mary Ann Shadd, Martin Delany, and James C. Brown, Beacons of Liberty illuminates the critical role that international free soil played in the long and arduous fight for emancipation and racial justice in the United States.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in other formOnline version: Abbott, Elena K. Beacons of liberty Cambridge ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2021 9781108863681
Genre/formHistory.
LCCN 2021024803
ISBN9781108798457
ISBN9781108491549 (hardback)
ISBN1108491545
ISBN1108798454
ISBN(ebook)

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