CARVING CANAAN FROM EGYPT’S LAND: FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN KENTUCKY’S OHIO RIVER VALLEY, 1795-1860

Over the course of the nineteenth century, Southerners of color flocked to northern free soil by the droves. Seeking refuge from a slaveholding society intent on subordinating those of African descent, many established new homes in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and places north. Many others, however, carv...

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Main Author: Wilson, Brandon
Format: Others
Published: UKnowledge 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/18
http://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=history_etds
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spelling ndltd-uky.edu-oai-uknowledge.uky.edu-history_etds-10242015-04-11T05:06:39Z CARVING CANAAN FROM EGYPT’S LAND: FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN KENTUCKY’S OHIO RIVER VALLEY, 1795-1860 Wilson, Brandon Over the course of the nineteenth century, Southerners of color flocked to northern free soil by the droves. Seeking refuge from a slaveholding society intent on subordinating those of African descent, many established new homes in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and places north. Many others, however, carved their own lands of freedom within the slaveholding South. This study explores the free Southerners of color who maintained communities in Kentucky’s borderland, occupying a purgatorial position between freedom and slavery. Maneuvering the anti-black laws and sentiments of their society, the individuals in this study remained rooted in a slaveholding society, despite relative proximity to northern free soil, and made their own freedom in an unfree region. The freedom that they made for themselves was in fact freer than anything the North had to offer. They conscientiously determined that the freedom provided by their own local community and social capital was more valuable than any freedom law could provide elsewhere. In effect, free Kentuckians of color in the Ohio River Valley forged their own free soil from the very land of their bondage. 2014-01-01T08:00:00Z text application/pdf http://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/18 http://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=history_etds Theses and Dissertations--History UKnowledge Free Kentuckians of Color Ohio River Valley Freedom Slavery United States History
collection NDLTD
format Others
sources NDLTD
topic Free Kentuckians of Color
Ohio River Valley
Freedom
Slavery
United States History
spellingShingle Free Kentuckians of Color
Ohio River Valley
Freedom
Slavery
United States History
Wilson, Brandon
CARVING CANAAN FROM EGYPT’S LAND: FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN KENTUCKY’S OHIO RIVER VALLEY, 1795-1860
description Over the course of the nineteenth century, Southerners of color flocked to northern free soil by the droves. Seeking refuge from a slaveholding society intent on subordinating those of African descent, many established new homes in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and places north. Many others, however, carved their own lands of freedom within the slaveholding South. This study explores the free Southerners of color who maintained communities in Kentucky’s borderland, occupying a purgatorial position between freedom and slavery. Maneuvering the anti-black laws and sentiments of their society, the individuals in this study remained rooted in a slaveholding society, despite relative proximity to northern free soil, and made their own freedom in an unfree region. The freedom that they made for themselves was in fact freer than anything the North had to offer. They conscientiously determined that the freedom provided by their own local community and social capital was more valuable than any freedom law could provide elsewhere. In effect, free Kentuckians of color in the Ohio River Valley forged their own free soil from the very land of their bondage.
author Wilson, Brandon
author_facet Wilson, Brandon
author_sort Wilson, Brandon
title CARVING CANAAN FROM EGYPT’S LAND: FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN KENTUCKY’S OHIO RIVER VALLEY, 1795-1860
title_short CARVING CANAAN FROM EGYPT’S LAND: FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN KENTUCKY’S OHIO RIVER VALLEY, 1795-1860
title_full CARVING CANAAN FROM EGYPT’S LAND: FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN KENTUCKY’S OHIO RIVER VALLEY, 1795-1860
title_fullStr CARVING CANAAN FROM EGYPT’S LAND: FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN KENTUCKY’S OHIO RIVER VALLEY, 1795-1860
title_full_unstemmed CARVING CANAAN FROM EGYPT’S LAND: FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN KENTUCKY’S OHIO RIVER VALLEY, 1795-1860
title_sort carving canaan from egypt’s land: free people of color in kentucky’s ohio river valley, 1795-1860
publisher UKnowledge
publishDate 2014
url http://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/18
http://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=history_etds
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