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A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation's Founding to the Civil War

William G. Thomas III follows five generations of enslaved families in Prince George's County, Maryland, who repeatedly sued for freedom between the nation's founding and the Civil War. Reconstructing hundreds of cases, he shows how the Butler, Queen, and Mahoney families challenged slavery through the courts and carried their claims toward the Supreme Court. Their legal struggle exposes both the possibilities and failures of early American law while restoring the names, choices, and persistence of people who forced the nation to confront slavery's legitimacy.

Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 2020-11-24
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 432
ISBN: 9780300234121

Subjects

History / United States / 19th Century History / African American & Black Law / Legal History

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Interview with the Author

3 available interview links

1. On the Record — A Question of Freedom with William G. Thomas IIIChecked

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2. Unsung History — Freedom Suits in Maryland and Washington, DCChecked

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3. Animating History — A Question of Freedom with William G. Thomas IIIChecked

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