Davis, Kenneth C. In The Shadow of Liberty.

Davis, Kenneth C.  In The Shadow of Liberty.  Macmillan/Henry Holt  2016  286p  $17.99  978-1-62779-311-7  hs  Nonfiction  VG-BN

The hypocrisy of the founding fathers who espoused personal freedom but owned slaves is not lost on many people. Davis hammers that point home again and again in this collection of stories about the lives of five of the slaves who were owned by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Andrew Jackson. More is known about the slaves featured in the narrative — Billy Lee, Ona Judge, Isaac Granger, Paul Jennings, and Alfred Jackson — than most of the founding fathers’ other slaves, because they held prominent positions in the houses in which they worked. The issue of hypocrisy is not the main lesson of this book; rather, it is the untold stories of the contributions of those who were enslaved, which are often lost because of the lack of records of their lives. The daily lives, fears, and frustrations of these men and women are explored through household records, newspaper postings for runaways, letters, memoirs, and numerous secondary sources. A detailed timeline of slavery runs throughout the book between chapters. This book would be a solid addition to secondary U.S. History collections.    

Summary: The lives of five slaves owned by United States presidents and the role of the slave in early American history are examined.

Slavery                                                                                                            —Stephanie Pennucci

Burgan, Michael. African Americans in the Thirteen Colonies.

Burgan, Michael.  African Americans in the Thirteen Colonies.     Scholastic/ Childrens Press   2013  64p   $30.00  ISBN 978-0-531-23600-0 elm/ms  series: Cornerstones of Freedom  VG-BNS

This book includes a look at the harrowing journey taken by Africans who were brought to America, at the growth of slavery prior to the American Revolution, at the hardships of daily life in the colonies and at the role of slaves in the Revolutionary War.  It is very interesting to learn about slavery during the formative years of this country, before we achieved freedom from Great Britain.  Author Michael Burgan has used his fine writing style to tell young teens about life, hardship, and the growth of slavery throughout the colonies.  The book has four well-organized chapters in which  Burgan uses anecdotal information, statistics, and facts to tell the story of the limitations placed on African Americans, even on those who were lucky enough to gain their freedom.  In the beginning, some blacks could marry whites, have children and work their own land.  By the late 1600s, however, laws limiting the rights of blacks began to appear, especially in Virginia.  Slavery grew in the northern colonies, but with the exception of Rhode Island, the populations never equaled those of the South.  Readers learn about the Great Awakening, which brought Christianity to the masses of African American slaves.  They also learn about Crispus Attucks, one of the people killed during the Boston Massacre.  Whereas many slaves fought for the British during the Revolutionary War in exchange for their freedom, other slaves fought for the colonists and were instrumental in their victory. 

A teacher of social studies who hopes to teach the early history of slavery in the states will want to use the illustrations, the timeline that begins in the 1440s, and the text to support a unit on African Americans’ role in the U.S.  The book’s many extras include a spotlight on famous African Americans of the time.  All in all, this book has a lot to offer.  Cornerstones of Freedom uses historical illustrations, maps, timelines and comprehensive text to tell the stories of many important moments in American history.  Topics include Lincoln, Obama, Gettysburg, the nuclear age and many others.     

Slavery-History                                             --Martha Squaresky

Freedman, Russell. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Freedman, Russell.  Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion     119p  $18.99  978-0-547-38562-4      2012  ms/hs   E-BN  History

Despite the enormously different backgrounds of the two men, the similarities between the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are striking: both rose from extreme poverty, were self-educated, and had the same hatred of that “peculiar institution” of slavery.  Douglass, a former slave who became a greatly respected orator and defender of the African-American population, and Lincoln, a poor farm boy and self-taught lawyer who rose to the position of President of the United States, forged a relationship that would serve both well during the cataclysm of the Civil War.  The book begins with Douglass waiting to see Lincoln in the White House and segues back to a description of his difficult life as a slave and his arduous journey to freedom.  The focus returns to Lincoln and discusses his hardships and struggles to advance himself in life.  The narrative moves to the political and social mores of the country and the continuing problems with slavery between the Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the country as a whole.  Douglass was intent on freeing all the slaves while Lincoln concentrated on keeping the Union intact.  Together, they would both succeed in their aims.

Freedman provides a well-balanced and descriptive treatment of the lives of two of the foremost men of their times.  Writing with clarity and thoughtfulness, he allows the readers a view of both the men and the country at the time.  This historical chronicle is enhanced by period illustrations and photographs, chapter notes, a selected bibliography, a selection from The Columbian Orator (a book they both read), a list of historic sites, and an index.

Lincoln, Abraham–Biography, Douglass, Frederick–Biography, Slavery–History                                                                --Susan Ogintz