In 1851; Elizabeth Parker; a free black child in Chester County; Pennsylvania; was bound and gagged; snatched from a local farm; and hurried off to a Baltimore slave pen. Two weeks later; her teenage sister; Rachel; was abducted from another Chester County farm. Because slave catchers could take fugitive slaves and free blacks across state lines to be sold; the border country of Pennsylvania/Maryland had become a dangerous place for most black people. In The Parker Sisters; Lucy Maddox gives an eloquent; urgent account of the tragic kidnapping of these young women. Using archival news and courtroom reports; Maddox tells the larger story of the disastrous effect of the Fugitive Slave Act on the small farming communities of Chester County and the significant; widening consequences for the state and the nation.The Parker Sisters is also a story about families whose lives and fates were deeply embedded in both the daily rounds of their community and the madness and violence consuming all of antebellum America. Maddox’s account of this horrific and startling crime reveals the strength and vulnerability of the Parker sisters and the African American population.
#2117922 in Books 2010-09-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .72 x 6.00l; .85 #File Name: 1438432321286 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Clear Lake ManMade its case without beating you over the head.1 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Conservatism: A Racist IdeologyBy Larry BrownThis is the most informative book on tracing the roots of conservatism and it's connection to traditional attitudes that justify racism. The doctrine of conservatism is rooted in the concept of preserving existing institutions and Professor Smith lays out the entire background of how racism is embedded into the ideology. Conservatives never compromise their traditional values and White Supremacy is one of them. I highly recommend this if you have ever wondered why it is that so many conservatives seem to be intolerant of others. When they tried to label themselves as "compassionate conservatives" years ago; one has to wonder...why they would need to tell us that; unless they knew that they had a problem in that area with minorities.2 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Review of "Conservatism and Racism; and Why in America They Are the SameBy BillKI enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit from it. The author makes some very good points and substantiates them in scholarly fashion. It is slow going at times and a bit pretentious in places; but overall it's worthwhile and thought-provoking.