Description
With innovative scholarship and thorough research, Sailing to Freedom highlights little-known stories and describes the less-understood maritime side of the Underground Railroad, including the impact of African Americans' paid and unpaid waterfront labor. These ten essays reconsider and contextualize how escapes were managed along the East Coast, moving from the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland to safe harbor in northern cities such as Philadelphia, New York, New Bedford, and Boston.
In addition to the volume editor, contributors include David S. Cecelski, Elysa Engelman, Kathryn Grover, Megan Jeffreys, Cheryl Janifer LaRoche, Mirelle Luecke, Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Michael D. Thompson, and Len Travers.
Product Details
| Publisher | University of Massachusetts Press |
| Publish Date | April 30, 2021 |
| Pages | 248 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781625345929 |
| Dimensions | 8.9 X 5.9 X 0.8 inches | 0.9 pounds |
Reviews
"Collectively, Sailing to Freedom is an account of Black self-determination and successful resistance, which is truly remarkable . . . Lucidly written, this book is a great read and highly recommended for scholars, public and local historians, professionals, and the interested public."--Journal of Southern History
"Sailing to Freedom recovers a neglected but crucial part of the past--and does so with flair and drama as heroic historical characters engage in gripping maritime adventures. This splendid collection of essays establishes, once and for all, the importance of the seaborne struggle against slavery."--Marcus Rediker, author of The Slave Ship: A Human History
"Sailing to Freedom connects the world of seafaring with the lives of runaway slaves in so many compelling ways that the reader cannot help but think the Underground Railroad should be renamed."--Christopher P. Magra, author of Poseidon's Curse: British Naval Impressment and Atlantic Origins of the American Revolution
"The central question of the volume--To what extent are maritime escapes rightfully referred to as part of the Underground Railroad?--leads to an expanded understanding of what the path to freedom in nineteenth-century America looked like."--Jeffrey A. Fortin, coeditor of Atlantic Biographies: Individuals and Peoples in the Atlantic World
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