In the Shadow of Freedom
The Politics of Slavery in the National Capital
1st Edition
Published on 13. June 2011
277 pages
978-0-8214-4349-1 (ISBN)
Description
Few images of early America were more striking, and jarring, than that of slaves in the capital city of the world's most important free republic. Black slaves served and sustained the legislators, bureaucrats, jurists, cabinet officials, military leaders, and even the presidents who lived and worked there. While slaves quietly kept the nation's capital running smoothly, lawmakers debated the place of slavery in the nation, the status of slavery in the territories newly acquired from Mexico, and even the legality of the slave trade in itself.
This volume, with essays by some of the most distinguished historians in the nation, explores the twin issues of how slavery made life possible in the District of Columbia and how lawmakers in the district regulated slavery in the nation.
Contributors: David Brion Davis, Mary Beth Corrigan, A. Glenn Crothers, Jonathan Earle, Stanley Harrold, Mitch Kachun, Mary K. Ricks, James B. Stewart, Susan Zaeske, David Zarefsky
This volume, with essays by some of the most distinguished historians in the nation, explores the twin issues of how slavery made life possible in the District of Columbia and how lawmakers in the district regulated slavery in the nation.
Contributors: David Brion Davis, Mary Beth Corrigan, A. Glenn Crothers, Jonathan Earle, Stanley Harrold, Mitch Kachun, Mary K. Ricks, James B. Stewart, Susan Zaeske, David Zarefsky
Reviews / Votes
"These articles succeed admirably in emphasizing the irony of slavery's centrality in what Finkelman terms 'the seat of power of the world's most prominent democratic republic.'" (Journal of American History) "This essay collection does a nice job of keeping its focus, and all of the essays work well together. It offers a comprehensive understanding of just why it matters that the capital of the United States was a slave city. It also includes a diversity of perspectives-from the political to the social-and clearly shows exactly how slavery cast a shadow over all regions of the nation and all Americans." (H-CivWar)More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Athens
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
ISBN-13
978-0-8214-4349-1 (9780821443491)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
Paul Finkelman | Donald R. Kennon
In the Shadow of Freedom
The Politics of Slavery in the National Capital
Book
06/2011
Ohio University Press
€61.50
Shipment within 10-20 days
Persons
Paul Finkelman is an expert on constitutional history, the law of slavery, and the American Civil War. He coedits the Ohio University Press series New Approaches to Midwestern Studies and is the president of Gratz College.
Donald R. Kennon is the former chief historian and vice president of the United States Capitol Historical Society. He is editor of the Ohio University Press series Perspectives on the History of Congress, 1789-1801.
Donald R. Kennon is the former chief historian and vice president of the United States Capitol Historical Society. He is editor of the Ohio University Press series Perspectives on the History of Congress, 1789-1801.
Content
- Intro
- Preface
- Slavery in the Shadow of Liberty
- 1: Congress and Slaveryin Context
- The Impact of British Abolitionism on American Sectionalism
- Christian Statesmanship, Codes of Honor, and Congressional Violence: The Antislavery Travails and Triumphs of Joshua Giddings
- Gamaliel Bailey, Antislavery Journalist and Lobbyist
- Saturday Nights at the Baileys' : Building an Antislavery Movement in Congress, 1838-1854
- "A nest of rattlesnakes let loose among them" : Congressional Debates over Women's Antislavery Petitions, 1835-1845
- Debating Slavery by Proxy: The Texas Annexation Controversy
- 2: The Politics of Slavery in the District of Columbia
- The 1846 Retrocession of Alexandria: Protecting Slavery and the Slave Trade in the District of Columbia
- "Whether they be ours or no, they may be heirs of the kingdom" : The Pursuit of Family Ties among Enslaved People in the District of Columbia
- The 1848 Pearl Escape from Washington, D.C. : A Convergence of Opportunity, Motivation, and Political Action in the Nation's Capital
- Celebrating Emancipation and Contesting Freedom in Washington, D.C.
- Contributors
- Index
