African American Southerners in Slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction

This work documents the many roles filled by Southern blacks in the last decades of slavery, the Civil War years, and the following period of Reconstruction. African Americans suffered and resisted bondage in virtually every aspect of their lives, but persevered through centuries of brutality to their present place at the center of American life. Utilizing statements made by former slaves and other sources close to them, the author takes a close look at the culture and lifestyle of this proud people in the final decades of slavery, their experiences of being in the military and fighting in the Civil War, and the active role taken by the Southern blacks during Reconstruction.

A professor at St. Edward’s University, Claude H. Nolen lives in Austin, Texas.

Claude H. Nolen
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 231
Bibliographic Info: photos, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2005 [2001]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2451-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5053-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      viii

Introduction      1

PART ONE: LAST DECADES OF SLAVERY

1. Cabins and Quarters; Food and Clothing      5

2. Religion, Education, Medicine, and Recreation      19

3. Marriage and the Family; Slave Trade and the Family      40

4. Runaways; Crimes and Punishment      51

5. Slave Labor and Labor Management      62

PART TWO: CIVILWAR

6. Experience of War      87

7. The Military and the Slaves      100

8. Black Fighting Men      120

PART THREE: RECONSTRUCTION

9. First Freedom      139

10. Politics and the Ku Klux Klan      156

11. Education and Religion      167

12. Sharecroppers, Laborers, and Businessmen      178

Notes      191

Bibliographical Essay      209

Index      215

“wonderful lithographs, photographs, and illustrations from 19th-century periodicals grace the volume…extensive [footnotes] give students a good introduction to the field”—Choice; “excellent”—The Civil War Courier; “excellent”—Civil War Book Review.