slaves

Introduces readers to the people and events behind Emancipation Day and Juneteenth.

The slave narrative of Harriet A. Jacobs, published in 1861 under the pseudonym Linda Brent, in which she describes the trials of her life as a Southern slave, and discusses her determination to win freedom for herself and her children.

Simple text and photographs introduce young readers to the African American holiday of Juneteenth.

In 1863, child slave Thomas and his sister Birdie journey north and meet up with Union soldiers who have orders to fight at Gettysburg.

A brief illustrated biography of the African-American woman whose cruel experiences as a slave in the South led her to seek freedom in the North for herself and for others through the Underground Railroad.

"After enduring years as a slave, Frederick Douglass escaped to freedom as a young man and made it his mission to work toward emancipation for all. He became a renowned orator, an inspiring writer, and above all, a champion for equal rights. This book will present his life story, full ofchallenges and successes, and the legacy that has lived on long after he died"--Provided by publisher.

"Though the Emancipation Proclamation is widely thought of as having brought an end to the despicable institution of slavery in the United States, the truth is a bit more complicated. The document actually freed slaves only in the lands in rebellion against the United States, so it had little immediate effect. That said, the proclamation did eventually free millions of people, enable African Americans to become Union soldiers, and make ending slavery one of the stated goals of the war. This volume explains how closely examining those sources gives us a better understanding of historical events and figures"--Provided by publisher.

"'It is staggering that there is no date commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.'--Annette Gordon-Reed. The essential, sweeping story of Juneteenth's integral importance to American history, as told by a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Texas native. Interweaving American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed, the descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas in the 1850s, recounts the origins of Juneteenth and explores the legacies of the holiday that remain with us. From the earliest presence of black people in Texas--in the 1500s, well before enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown--to the day in Galveston on June 19, 1865, when General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery, Gordon-Reed's insightful and inspiring essays present the saga of a 'frontier' peopled by Native Americans, Anglos, Tejanos, and Blacks that became a slaveholder's republic. Reworking the 'Alamo' framework, Gordon-Reed shows that the slave--and race--based economy not only defined this fractious era of Texas independence, but precipitated the Mexican-American War and the resulting Civil War. A commemoration of Juneteenth and the fraught legacies of slavery that still persist, On Juneteenth is stark reminder that the fight for equality is ongoing"--Provided by the publisher.

Harriet Tubman was born a slave and dreamed of being free. She was willing to risk everything including her own life to see that dream come true. After her daring escape, Harriet became a conductor on the secret Underground Railroad, helping more than three hundred other slaves make the dangerous journey to freedom.