Black Los Angeles started small. The first census of the newly formed Los Angeles County in 1850 recorded only twelve Americans of African descent alongside a population of more than 3;500 Anglo Americans. Over the following seventy years; however; the African American founding families of Los Angeles forged a vibrant community within the increasingly segregated and stratified city. In this book; historian Marne L. Campbell examines the intersections of race; class; and gender to produce a social history of community formation and cultural expression in Los Angeles. Expanding on the traditional narrative of middle-class uplift; Campbell demonstrates that the black working class; largely through the efforts of women; fought to secure their own economic and social freedom by forging communal bonds with black elites and other communities of color. This women-led; black working-class agency and cross-racial community building; Campbell argues; was markedly more successful in Los Angeles than in any other region in the country.Drawing from an extensive database of all African American households between 1850 and 1910; Campbell vividly tells the story of how middle-class African Americans were able to live; work; and establish a community of their own in the growing city of Los Angeles.
#239998 in Books Ingramcontent 2014-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.32 x .98 x 6.17l; .0 #File Name: 1469619024376 pagesMartha Jefferson Randolph Daughter of Monticello Her Life and Times
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It gives a wonderful view of a woman who faced these challenges with ...By blanche brickMartha Jefferson Randolph's life provides an opportunity to understand the American society of the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian periods. It shows the challenges that women faced in a society where their roles were vital to the success of raising the next generation but where they were almost completely dependent upon the success of the men in their lives. It gives a wonderful view of a woman who faced these challenges with courage and who managed to keep her large family together in the midst of these challenges. And it shows why the role of women in the American society of the early 19th century was a vital one rather than merely a submissive one as is often the way it is viewed today.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Book About An Interesting Woman in Her Own RightBy Grace MaynardI had long been curious to know more about the life of "Patsy" Jefferson. This biography fulfilled that quest. Ms. Kiernan did a thorough search of available first-hand and secondary sources of information on Martha Jefferson to re-create a well-rounded picture of Thomas Jefferson's daughter in her own right. As one would expect; she was bright; sensitive and thoughtful. She was conventional for her time and place. She was ambivalent about slavery and eventually embraced the belief that it had no place in America society. She endured a difficult marriage; poverty in her later life; and the scattering of her eleven children. I often re-read my favorite biographies and this book will be one of those.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Extremely well-doneBy badtypistI thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although I am not a professional historian; as a lay person who has long been fascinated by Thomas Jefferson and his life and times; i was extremely pleased to this high level of scholarship devoted to his daughter. Her own story is compelling on many levels; particularly her life as it fits within the broader context of slaveholding women and enslaved people in the Virginia of the early 19th century. I look forward to seeing more from Cynthia Kiemer!
