The bone and sinew of the land : America's forgotten black pioneers & the struggle for equality

Author

Anna-Lisa Cox

Call Numbers

• H 977.0496 C8771 (CEN)
• 977.0496 C8771 (CEN, OSH)
• 977.0496 C8771 TEEN (CEN, OSH)

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Edition

First edition.

Publication Information

New York, NY : PublicAffairs, Hachette Book Group, 2018.

Physical Description

xviii, 280 pages : map ; 25 cm

Summary

"The American frontier is one of our most cherished and enduring national images. We think of the early settlers who tamed the wilderness and built the bones of our great country as courageous, independent--and white. In this groundbreaking work of deep historical research, Anna-Lisa Cox shows that this history simply isn't accurate. In fact, she has found a stunning number of black settlements on the frontier--in the thousands. Though forgotten today, these homesteads were a matter of national importance at the time; their mere existence challenged rationalizations for slavery and pushed the question toward a crisis--one that was not resolved until the eruption of the Civil War. Blending meticulous detail with lively storytelling, Cox brings historical recognition to the brave people who managed not just to secure their freedom but begin a battle that is still going on today--a battle for equality."--Provided by publisher.

When black settlers Keziah and Charles Grier started clearing their frontier land in 1818, they were just looking to build a better life. Their new home, the Northwest Territory-- the wild region that would become present-day Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin-- was the first territory to ban slavery and have equal voting rights for all men. Within a few years, the Griers would become early Underground Railroad conductors, confronting the growing tyranny of bondage and injustice. Cox uses their story to reveal America's forgotten frontier, where settlers were inspired by the belief that all men are created equal and a brighter future was possible. -- adapted from jacket

Contents

• "Life, liberty"
• Interlude: "We hold these truths to be self-evident"
• "The pursuit of happiness"
• "And secure the blessings of liberty."
• "To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
• "Burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people"
• "The right of the people to peaceably assemble."
• "For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments"
• "A history of repeated injuries and usurpations."
• Conclusion: "All men are created equal."