
Beyond Forty Acres and a Mule
African American Landowning Families Since Reconstruction
Debra A. Reid(Editor)
University Press of Florida
Published on 31. March 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-8130-6036-1 (ISBN)
Description
This collection chronicles the tumultuous history of landowning African American farmers from the end of the Civil War to today. Each essay provides a case study of people in one place at a particular time and the factors that affected their ability to acquire, secure, and protect their land.
The contributors walk readers through a century and a half of African American agricultural history, from the strivings of black farm owners in the immediate post-emancipation period to the efforts of contemporary black farm owners to receive justice through the courts for decades of discrimination by the U.S Department of Agriculture. They reveal that despite enormous obstacles, by 1920 a quarter of African American farm families owned their land, and demonstrate that farm ownership was not simply a departure point for black migrants seeking a better life but a core component of the African American experience.
The contributors walk readers through a century and a half of African American agricultural history, from the strivings of black farm owners in the immediate post-emancipation period to the efforts of contemporary black farm owners to receive justice through the courts for decades of discrimination by the U.S Department of Agriculture. They reveal that despite enormous obstacles, by 1920 a quarter of African American farm families owned their land, and demonstrate that farm ownership was not simply a departure point for black migrants seeking a better life but a core component of the African American experience.
Reviews / Votes
"Redirects attention back to the land when examining African American life and culture, highlights the often-neglected landowners of colour as individuals worthy of close attention, despite their minority status within American culture." - American Historical ReviewMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Florida
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
237 black & white illustrations, 3 maps
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
629 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8130-6036-1 (9780813060361)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Debra A. Reid, professor of history at Eastern Illinois University, is author of Reaping a Greater Harvest: African Americans, the Extension Service and Rural Reform in Jim Crow Texas. Evan P. Bennett is assistant professor of history at Florida Atlantic University.