All along the Mississippi - on country plantation landings, urban levees and quays, and the decks of steamboats - nineteenth-century African Americans worked and fought for their liberty amid the slave trade and the growth of the cotton South. Offering a counternarrative to Twain's well-known tale from the perspective of the pilothouse, Thomas Buchanan paints a more complete picture of the Mississippi, documenting the rich variety of experiences among slaves and free blacks who lived and worked on the lower decks and along the river during slavery, through the Civil War, and into emancipation. By exploring the complex relationship between slavery and freedom, Buchanan sheds new light on the ways African Americans resisted slavery and developed a vibrant culture and economy up and down America's greatest river.

About the Author
THOMAS C. BUCHANAN is assistant professor of history at the University of Adelaide.

Reviews
"This is social and economic history at its best." - Journal of American History "Thanks to Buchanan's prodigious investigation and eloquent prose, the real-life Jims who peopled the river's banks and towns have at long last had their stories told." - American Historical Review"



Book Information
ISBN 9780807858134
Author Thomas C. Buchanan
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint The University of North Carolina Press
Publisher The University of North Carolina Press
Weight(grams) 381g