Traveling the Freedom Road

Traveling the Freedom Road: From Slavery and the Civil War Through Reconstruction. By Linda Barrett Osborne. Abrams, 2009. 128 pages. Tr. $24.95 ISBN 978-0810983380

Summary: The journey of American-Americans from slavery to freedom is passionately documented through first-person account. Archival newspaper advertisements, articles, photographs, and maps pair with the text, making this an ideal book on African American history to engage even the most reluctant of tween readers.

Critical Review: Osborne outlines the painful journey of slavery, from the first passage of slaves from the Ivory Coast, to their eventual emancipation almost three hundred years later. Tweens learn that slavery was not an inevitable event, but rather was a conscious decision. Seventeenth and eighteenth century African slaves received the same treatment as white indentured servants, and it was not until the early eighteenth century that slavery became defined through color. The different forms of slavery, from slaves in rural Plantation Households and fields, to city slaves are all included. With time the division between Southern whites and blacks grew, as whites limited the steps required for manumission and the privileges afforded to the free people. Slave insurrections grew in leaps and bounds, substantially contributing to white fears. It was illegal for African-American slaves to learn to read, attend their own churches, and to marry. Everything was under the control of the Master or Mistress. Enslaved peoples were not without agency, and engaged on countless occasions to overthrow the system. Many tired their chances of escape through the Underground Railroad. However, it was not until the Civil War that slaves were finally awarded their freedom. The contributions of black and white abolitionists and Northern militia are provided. With the Fifteenth Amendment slavery was officially banned in the U.S., however, it continued on under a different name in the South during the Reconstruction. It was not until the Civil Rights Movement that African American inequalities were addressed.

Genre: American History

Reading/Interest Level: 10-14 years

Reviews: Voice of Youth Advocates (2009, June 1); School Library Journal (2009, May 1); Booklist (2009, February 1).

Similar Materials: Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains and Forge; the American Girl Series of “Addy”

Subjects/Themes: Slavery; Civil War; Reconstruction; African-American history; U.S. politics and government

Brief Annotation: The history of African Americans from slavery to Reconstruction is chronicled, showcasing their agency.