Synopses & Reviews
The matriarch of a remarkable African American family, Sally Thomas went from being a slave on a tobacco plantation, to a "virtually free" slave who ran her own business and purchased one of her sons out of bondage. In Search of the Promised Land offers a vivid portrait of the extended
Thomas-Rapier family and of the life of slaves before the Civil War.
Based on family letters as well as an autobiography by one of Thomas' sons, this remarkable piece of detective work follows a singular group as they walk the boundary between slave and free, traveling across the country in search of a "promised land" where African Americans would be treated
with respect. Their record of these journeys provides a vivid picture of antebellum America, stretching from New Orleans to St. Louis, from the Overland Trail to the California Gold Rush, and from Civil War battles to steamboat adventures. John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger weave a compelling
narrative that illuminates the larger themes of slavery and freedom. To a remarkable degree, this small family experienced the full gamut of slavery, witnessing everything from the breakup of slave families, brutal punishment, and runaways, to miscegenation, insurrection panics, and slave patrols.
They also illuminate the hidden lives of " virtually free" slaves, who maintained close relationships with whites, maneuvered within the system, and gained a large measure of autonomy.
The Thomas-Rapiers were keen observers of the human condition. Through the eyes of this exceptional family and the indomitable black woman who held them together, we witness aspects of human bondage otherwise hidden from view.
Review
"In Search of the Promised Land is a unique and exciting addition to the literature on slavery and nineteenth-century history. It shows the complexity of slave life and challenges existing historical interpretations without completely overturning the studies of the last thirty years. . . . I love the story itself--what a story!"--James Fuller, University of Indianapolis
"The book's focus on the Thomas-Rapier family provides for one of the more vivid presentations of antebellum race relations I have seen. So much of scholarship on slave life tends to lose sight of individuals who had to confront life in a slave society. This book brings individuals back into the picture."--Dickson D. Bruce, University of Irvine California
Synopsis
The matriarch of a remarkable African American family, Sally Thomas went from being a slave on a tobacco plantation to a "virtually free" slave who ran her own business and purchased one of her sons out of bondage.
In Search of the Promised Land offers a vivid portrait of the extended Thomas-Rapier family and of slave life before the Civil War.
Based on personal letters and an autobiography by one of Thomas' sons, this remarkable piece of detective work follows the family as they walk the boundary between slave and free, traveling across the country in search of a "promised land" where African Americans would be treated with respect. Their record of these journeys provides a vibrant picture of antebellum America, ranging from New Orleans to St. Louis to the Overland Trail. The authors weave a compelling narrative that illuminates the larger themes of slavery and freedom while examining the family's experiences with the California Gold Rush, Civil War battles, and steamboat adventures. The documents show how the Thomas-Rapier kin bore witness to the full gamut of slavery--from brutal punishment, runaways, and the breakup of slave families to miscegenation, insurrection panics, and slave patrols. The book also exposes the hidden lives of "virtually free" slaves, who maintained close relationships with whites, maneuvered within the system, and gained a large measure of autonomy.
Table of Contents
Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgments
The Descendants of Sally Thomas
Prologue
1. Sally Thomas: A Life in Bondage
Virtual Freedom
Sally's Children
Sally's Son James
Sally's Grandchildren: The Rapier Boys
2. From Slavery to Freedom
The Domestic Slave Trade
James Thomas: The Boyhood Years
Barbershop
3. Travels in the North and West
Nashville's Black Community
The Changing Attitudes of Whites
A Fugitive Slave in the North
The California Gold Rush
The Epidemic's Shadow
4. In Search of Canaan
Bound for Nicaragua
The Dilemma of John Rapier Sr.
The Minnesota Territory
Canada West and James Thomas Rapier
5. The Midwest, Haiti, and Jamaica
Into "Bleeding Kansas"
Steamboating on the Mississippi
John Rapier Jr. in the Caribbean
6. The Mighty Scourge of War
James Thomas in St. Louis
John Rapier Jr.'s Continuing Odyssey
The War's End
Epilogue
Afterword: Through the Prism of a Black Family
About the Sources
Appendix 1: Petitions of Ephraim Foster and James Thomas to the Davidson County Court, 1851
Appendix 2: John Rapier Sr. to Richard Rapier, April 8, 1945
Appendix 3: John Rapier Jr. to James Thomas, July 28, 1861
Selected Bibliography on Slavery
Index