In Hope of Liberty by James Horton
Covering the colonial period to the Civil War and spanning all of the northern United States, this text documents the antebellum northern black experience. In examining churches, schools, music, living arrangements, occupations, even the underground railroad, it demonstrates the central role of the black community in successfully managing the tensions born of assimilation and cultural difference. In the process, it shows the extensive national contributions of northern blacks.
"James and Lois Horton have used superb scholarship to pierce the mists shrouding the first generations of blacks on these shores and have delivered a sharp portrait of some of the earliest and strongest AmericansThis is a profound work of the utmost importance to anyone who wants to understand the United States and her people."--Roger Wilkins, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History and American Culture, George Mason University "This is really a fascinating study. On one level, it is a superb synthesis of three decades of scholarship on Northern Blacks in slavery and freedom. If that were all the book was, it would be a valuable contribution to the field. However, the Hortons take their study much further, pulling together material from many disciplines to illuminate the lives of Northern men and women of color. We have the chance, however briefly, to enter into the lives of these people, and see through their eyes their struggle to be free, to achieve personal fulfillment, to be part of a community, and to carve out for themselves and their children a place in a society that was never reconciled to their presence."--Julie Winch, History Department, University of Massachusetts, Boston "In Hope of Liberty is a stunning achievement of research, insight, and an inclusive historical vision. The Hortons give us the free black experience from 1700 to the Civil War in what will become the standard, synthetic work on the subject. Told with an artful combination of irony, economy, and original description of people and events, this story of the origin and persistence of black communities richly demonstrates how much black history belongs in the central narrative of American history. This book will surprise and enlighten a broad readership."--David W. Blight, Associate Professor of History, Amherst College "This important book is first-rate and tells great stories of the first group of free African Americans, people known and unknown, who struggled mightily to bridge cultures. It reads very well, and it covers both a large chronology, from the colonial period into the Civil War, and a large area, the North of the United States. In Hope of Liberty is destined to take its place among a pantheon of illustrious works on race relations."--Orville Vernon Burton, Professor of History and Sociology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign "In Hope of Liberty presents an excellent examination of northern free black life from the early arrivals in the transatlantic slave trade to the coming of the Civil War. The studies of various individuals and of the roles of family, church, and antislavery activities demonstrate the accomplishments of blacks in circumstances of racial injustice. This is an important contribution to the study of black and American history."--Stanley L. Engerman, Professor of Economics and History, University of Rochester
James Oliver Horton is the Benjamin Banneker Professor of American Studies and History at the George Washington University, directs the African-American Communities Project at the Smithsonian Institution, and is the author of Free People of Color: Inside the African American Community. Lois E. Horton is Professor of Sociology and American Studies at George Mason University and the co-author of Black Bostonians: Family Life and Community Struggles in the Antebellum North.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780195047325 |
| ISBN 10 | 019504732X |
| Title | In Hope of Liberty |
| Author | James Horton |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press Inc |
| Year published | 1996-12-05 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |