A moving narrative that offers a rare glimpse into the lives of African American men; women; and children on the cusp of freedom; First Fruits of Freedom chronicles one of the first collective migrations of blacks from the South to the North during and after the Civil War. Janette Thomas Greenwood relates the history of a network forged between Worcester County; Massachusetts; and eastern North Carolina as a result of Worcester regiments taking control of northeastern North Carolina during the war. White soldiers from Worcester; a hotbed of abolitionism; protected refugee slaves; set up schools for them; and led them north at war's end. White patrons and a supportive black community helped many migrants fulfill their aspirations for complete emancipation and facilitated the arrival of additional family members and friends. Migrants established a small black community in Worcester with a distinctive southern flavor.But even in the North; white sympathy did not continue after the Civil War. Despite their many efforts; black Worcesterites were generally disappointed in their hopes for full-fledged citizenship; reflecting the larger national trajectory of Reconstruction and its aftermath.
#701569 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2006-02-27 2006-02-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.08 x 6.13l; 1.39 #File Name: 0807856754432 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I liked this bookBy E. E.I liked this book. It was particularly helpful for researching my family line that just happened to have Quakers in Philadelphia during the colonial period. Information in Ms. Lyons book prompted me to go back and review early Quaker records and the circumstances of my Rev. War ancestor and his Quaker wife. Low and behold; I found information that I would have otherwise overlooked. My only complaint (reason for the four stars) is that in some parts the book gets quite tedious (like a text book) but; I skimmed through those sections. Overall a good read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Sex Among the RabbleBy djwatkins487The author paints a very elaborate picture of the social culture in pre and post Revolutionary Philadelphia. Her use of court dockets; historical publications; correspondence; tax information; contemporary historical studies; artwork; personal journals; and almshouse records provides extensive information on gender; race; and class. She provides a much needed glimpse into the life of ordinary citizens in the time of revolution; federalism; and giants such as Washington and Hamilton. Anyone who is interested in the common citizen in the age of Revolution would benefit greatly from this book.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A lot can change in a hundred yearsBy SCMThis is an important book for understanding the history of women in the US. It's an amazing work of history with great notes for further reading.I came to this book interested in a very specific point in Philadelphia's history...but also as someone who has worked for victims' rights (primarily survivors of sexual assault). I can't emphasize enough how looking at this particular century of change in Philadelphians' attitudes about sexuality and gender can tell us how mutable attitudes about sex and gender are.Between 1730 and 1830; prevailing attitudes about extra-marital sex--from prostitution to adultery to seduction to bastardy to child support--went from permissive understanding about women as individuals and as victims of male predation (but who still had power to shape their lives and to recover from poor treatment) to the more typical fallen-woman-brought-it-on-herself attitude that sadly still exists. (See also: "What did you think would happen if you dressed like that?" and "Why didn't you scream?" and "How much did you have to drink?")But Philadelphia in the decades before the Revolution was liberal and rather practical in how it treated sex. For example; prostitution was rarely prosecuted; divorce was relatively easy to obtain (extra-judicially; but a divorce law did emerge later); and there was an established bureaucracy for ensuring illegitimate children would be provided for. "Fallen" women could go on with their lives and rejoin society.In the early nineteenth century; though; all of this was changing as gender/sex roles calcified. "Fallen" women narratives in literature generally ended in disease and death. Women had fewer resources available to them to obtain support for their illegitimate children. This understanding is the story we're already familiar with.Although it is disheartening thinking about the once progressive city's inevitable march to Antebellum/Victorian attitudes; I came away from the book with renewed hope that a reverse trend--toward compassion and understanding and assistance--is possible; too. In the last thirty years; so much has changed in the US and around the world. At the end of a century; just imagine how far we could go.
