Fugitive Slaves and the Unfinished American Revolution

Rezensionen / Stimmen

"an excellent explanation of slavery's legal underpinnings"-Civil War News; "a thought-provoking and innovative portrayal of black political action in the antebellum period"-The Journal of Southern History; "a welcome addition to the literature on slave resistance...quite impressive...excellent work"-The Journal of African American History; "each of these carefully assembled chapters is well-written and accessible.... The book is a forceful indication that academic scholarship in general should pay more attention to the Underground Railroad to explain the linkages between the American revolution and the Civil War"-American Historical Review; "welcome contribution...highly readable, in-depth chronicling of individual narratives...will provide students with a more sophisticated understanding of the American Revolution"-H-Net Reviews; "In Fugitive Slaves and the Unfinished American Revolution, Gordon S. Barker combines impeccable scholarship with a keen storyteller's eye. His fascinating account of eight cases contains stories of courage and resolve, as black Americans and their abolitionist allies sought to complete the unfulfilled promise of the Revolutionary era. Engrossing and superbly written."-Douglas R. Egerton, author of Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election That Brought on the Civil War; "Barker's comprehensive analysis of eight Africans of the Americas does much to reinsert the presence and more so, the agency of Black people into the histories of both Canada and the United States...the eight diverse African Americans he includes in his analysis provide a broad range of Black activism and examples of individual heroism as opposed to a more common collective experience and helps to provide a more inclusive master narrative."-Rosemary Sadlier, President, Ontario Black History Society; "No one acted on the promises of the American Revolution with greater commitment and courage than the little-known African Americans at the heart of Gordon S. Barker's stirring new book. Caught up in the dramatic fight over the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, these brave souls, along with their abolitionist allies, demanded 'liberty or death' and thereby summoned Americans to renew the 'spirit of 1776.' They were, in Barker's apt phrase, the 'minutemen' of their own day, on the front lines of freedom for a nation that has not yet paid them their due. Barker's insightful and inspiring account rightly recognizes these unsung heroes of American democracy."- Robert A. Gross, author of The Minutemen and Their World.