Runaway and freed Missouri slaves and those who helped them, 1763-1865
By: Harriet C. Frazier.
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Jefferson, N.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 214
Subjects: Slavery -- Missouri -- History; Fugitive slaves -- Missouri -- History; Freedmen -- Missouri -- History; Abolitionists -- Missouri -- History; Slaves -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Missouri -- History; Underground railroad -- Missouri; African Americans -- Missouri -- History; Missouri -- History; Missouri -- Race relations
Description: "From the beginning of French rule of Missouri in 1720 through this state's abolition of slavery in 1865, liberty was always the goal of the vast majority of its enslaved people. The presence in eastern Kansas of a host of abolitionists from New England made slaveholding risky business. Many religiously devout persons were imprisoned in Missouri for "slave stealing."" "Based largely on old newspapers, prison records, pardon papers, and other archival materials, this book is an account of the legal and physical obstacles that slaves faced in their quest for freedom and of the consequences suffered by persons who tried to help them. Attitudes of both slave holders and abolitionists are examined, as is the institution's protection in both the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution. The book discusses the experiences of particular individuals and examines the Underground Railroad on Missouri's borders. Appendices provide details from two Spanish colonial census reports, a list of abolitionist prison inmates with details about their time served, and the percentages of African Americans still in bondage in 16 jurisdictions from 1820 to 1860."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-209) and index.
Table of contents: title: The myth of the contented slave; title: The background of slavery in Missouri; title: Legal freedom : winners and losers; title: Free negroes and mulattoes; title: Runaways; title: Slave John Anderson and Canadian-English justice; title: Abolitionist prison inmates; title: Missouri's western front; title: "The excitement on it continues"; title: The underground railroad on Missouri's borders.