The essence of liberty : free black women during the slave era /

This volume provides a historical overview of free black women in the US from the beginning of English colonization until the end of slavery. King (Univ. of Missouri) begins by surveying the myriad ways enslaved women gained access to legal freedom, and concludes by examining the experiences of free black women during the Civil War. The body of the work is organized thematically and provides separate treatments of gender conventions in free black communities, labor, educational opportunities, religious belief and practice, and black women's activity in the civic sphere. Despite being a synthesis, the book draws upon a wide range of primary sources, including letters and other personal papers, court and pension records, and newspapers, and its strength is its great variety of personal stories culled from primary sources. However, it is not always clear how these details relate to the main arguments in each chapter, and the conclusions themselves are often very general, as the very broad coverage tends to sacrifice depth for breadth. In addition, the thematic approach obscures important differences across space and, especially, over time. Useful as a general introduction to the topic. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General and undergraduate libraries. S. Condon Merrimack College