Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Republication on the 25th Anniversary of Pretends to be Free: Runaway Slave Advertisements from Colonial and Revolutionary New York and New Jersey recognizes the signal importance of its sterling presentation of northern self-emancipation. Today, even more than a quarter-century ago, these fugitive slave notices are the best verbal snapshots of enslaved Americans before and during the American Revolution. Black allegiances during our War for Independence are now standard aspects of the revolutionary narrative. Pretends to be Free, with its illuminating glossary of forgotten terms and clothing styles, double index of names and escape methods, and useful statistics, remains the best collection available on early American self-emancipation through flight. Replete with a preface by Ed Baptist, the leading scholar of slavery and capitalism and director of a massive project aimed at digitalizing every escape notice, and with a new introduction and teacher's guide by Graham Hodges, this new edition makes this documentary study more relevant than ever. Long out-of-print, and now available in this handy reprint, Pretends to be Free offers over eight hundred notices, some with extraordinary sagas. Long before enslaved African Americans wrote their own narratives, their angry and frustrated masters and mistresses offered vivid descriptions of their bodies, personalities, clothing, skills and often their powerful interactions. Instructors can find innumerable examples or create group biographies in the classroom. Any reader will find fascinating tales of those who fled be free.
Synopsis
Republication on the twenty-fifth anniversary of "Pretends to Be Free" recognizes the signal importance of its sterling presentation of northern self-emancipation. Today, even more than a quarter-century ago, these fugitive slave notices are the best verbal snapshots of enslaved Americans before and during the American Revolution. Through these notices, readers can discover how enslaved blacks chose allegiance during our War for Independence.
Replete with a preface by Ed Baptist, the leading scholar of slavery and capitalism and director of a massive project aimed at digitalizing every escape notice, and with a new Introduction and teacher's guide by Graham Hodges, this new edition makes this documentary study more relevant than ever. Long out-of-print, and now available in this handy reprint.