Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery and Freedom
Regular price
$37.35 USD
Regular price
$53.36 USD
Sale price
$37.35 USD
Unit price
per
You save $16.01 USD (30%)
In stock — Ships within 1–2 business days
Format
Print Book
Currently viewing
Hardcover
$37.35 USD
$53.36 USD
Secure CheckoutYour data is protected
Fast U.S. ShippingShips within 1–2 business days
Authentic Titles100% Genuine Books
Book Overview A poignant, multi-generational saga of a mixed-race family in the US West and South from the antebellum period through the rise of Jim Cr...
A poignant, multi-generational saga of a mixed-race family in the US West and South from the antebellum period through the rise of Jim Crow.
When Samuel Townsend died at his home in Madison County, Alabama, in November 1856, the fifty-two-year-old white planter left behind hundreds of slaves, thousands of acres of rich cotton land, and a net worth of approximately $200,000. In life, Samuel had done little to distinguish himself from other members of the South's elite slaveholding class. But he made a name for himself in death by leaving almost the entirety of his fortune to his five sons, four daughters, and two nieces: all of them his slaves.
In this deeply researched, movingly narrated portrait of the extended Townsend family, R. Isabela Morales reconstructs the migration of this mixed-race family across the American West and South over the second half of the nineteenth century. Searching for communities where they could exercise their newfound freedom and wealth to the fullest, members of the family homesteaded and attended college in Ohio and Kansas; fought for the Union Army in Mississippi; mined for silver in the Colorado Rockies; and, in the case of one son, returned to Alabama to purchase part of the old plantation where he had once been held as a slave. In Morales's telling, the Townsends' story maps a new landscape of opportunity and oppression, where the meanings of race and freedom--as well as opportunities for social and economic mobility--were dictated by highly local circumstances.
During the turbulent period between the Civil War and the rise of Jim Crow at the turn of the twentieth century, the Townsends carved out spaces where they were able to benefit from their money and mixed-race ancestry, pass down generational wealth, and realize some of their happy dreams of liberty.
Book Details Format: Hardcover | Pages: 319 | Language: English | Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PR | ISBN: 0197531792
FormatHardcover
Pages319
LanguageEnglish
ISBN0197531792
EAN9780197531792
PublisherOXFORD UNIV PR
Publication Date1970-01-01
AccessoriesNo Accessory
ConditionNew
Product TypeHARD COVER BOOKS
Weight1.3 Pounds
Length9.0 Inches
Width6.0 Inches
Height1.5 Inches
Shipping & Returns Fast, reliable shipping and easy returns on eligible items.
Most orders ship within 1–2 business days with fast, reliable U.S. delivery.
Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in line with our store return policy.
Why shop with AlbakiReads
Fresh Inventory from Major Publishers
Sourced through trusted book distributors, with fresh titles added regularly.
Secure Checkout
Your payment information is encrypted and protected every step of the way.
Fast U.S. Shipping
Most orders ship within 1–2 business days.
Books for Every Kind of Reader
From page-turners to timeless classics—find your next favorite read.
