- Hardcover: 480 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Allen Publishers; 2nd edition (Jan 19 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 088762250X
- ISBN-13: 978-0887622502
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.7 x 4.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 816 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #187,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
It was the day before Independence Day, 1831. As his bride, Lucie, was about to be “sold down the river” to the slave markets of New Orleans, young Thornton Blackburn planned a daring—and successful—daylight escape from Louisville. But they were discovered by slave catchers in Michigan and slated to return to Kentucky in chains, until the black community rallied to their cause. The Blackburn Riot of 1833 was the first racial uprising in Detroit history. The couple was spirited across the river to Canada, but their safety proved illusory. In June 1833, Michigan’s governor demanded their extradition. The Blackburn case was the first serious legal dispute between Canada and the United States regarding the Underground Railroad. The impassioned defense of the Blackburns by Canada’s lieutenant governor set precedents for all future fugitive-slave cases. The Blackburns settled in Toronto and founded the city’s first taxi business. But they never forgot the millions who still suffered in slavery. Working with prominent abolitionists, Thornton and Lucie made their home a haven for runaways. The Blackburns died in the 1890s, and their fascinating tale was lost to history. Lost, that is, until a chance archaeological discovery in a downtown Toronto school yard brought the story of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn again to light.
About the Author
Karolyn Smardz Frost is a Toronto-born archaeologist and historian whose 1985 excavation of the Thornton and Lucie Blackburn site made history. I’ve Got a Home in Gloryland is the fruit of more than twenty years of historical detective work into this fugitive slave couple’s dramatic escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Smardz Frost divides her time between her Collingwood, Ontario, home and an oceanfront cottage on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon Canada
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Story, History, Research and Reminder, Mar 21 2008
By Michael Bond - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: I've Got a Home in Glory Land: The Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad (Hardcover)
Karolyn Smardz-Frost, Canadian archaeologist and historian pieces together the story of the Blackburns, young American slaves who were man and wife. They fled to freedom in 1831, a full generation before the abolition of slavery in the US, and made their way to Detroit. Soon after that they were noticed, arrested and, on the brink of being returned to Kentucky for punishment and, no doubt, permanent separation, they made it into Canada, who had a no-return policy for escaped slaves.
Using the results of 20 years of research, Smardz-Frost writes a compelling narrative of the Blackburns' story, filling in the details with information about the period, geography, laws and views toward slavery.
This story is a poignant reminder of the horrors of slavery. Without getting preachy - the author's matter-of-fact approach to the sale, ownership, brutalization and sexual abuse of slaves drives the point home quite well. While hardly ignorant of the period, one point was made that I had never thought of. White masters frequently fathered children with female slaves and then sold the offspring - their own children - as slaves. Their own children. Hell's not hot enough for some people.
Don't get me wrong, this book does not club the reader over the head about the issue, but you cannot come away from the story unchanged.
I also am glad that our Northern neighbor, Canada provided shelter for the escapees rather than return them to the lives in bondage. Good call.
And Good job, Karolyn.
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Canadian
- Books > History > Americas > Canada > Province & Local
- Books > History > Americas > United States > 19th Century
- Books > History > Canada > Province & Local
- Books > History > Historical Study > Revolutionary
- Books > History > United States > 19th Century
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > History > United States
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
