Description
Book SynopsisIn an engaging narrative format, In Search of the Promised Land tells the story of the Thomas-Rapier family of Nashville, following Sally Thomas and her sons James, Henry, and John to analyze the complex and ambiguous nature of slavery and freedom in the Old South.
Trade Review"In Search of the Promised Land is a unique and exciting addition to the literature on slavery and nineteenth-century history. It shows the complexity of slave life and challenges existing historical interpretations without completely overturning the studies of the last thirty years... I love the story itself-what a story!"-James Fuller, University of Indianapolis "The book's focus on the Thomas-Rapier family provides for one of the more vivid presentations of antebellum race relations I have seen. So much of scholarship on slave life tends to lose sight of individuals who had to confront life in a slave society. This book brings individuals back into the picture."-Dickson D. Bruce, University of Irvine California
Table of ContentsIllustrations Foreword Acknowledgments The Descendants of Sally Thomas Prologue 1. Sally Thomas: A Life in Bondage Virtual Freedom Sally's Children Sally's Son James Sally's Grandchildren: The Rapier Boys 2. From Slavery to Freedom The Domestic Slave Trade James Thomas: The Boyhood Years Barbershop 3. Travels in the North and West Nashville's Black Community The Changing Attitudes of Whites A Fugitive Slave in the North The California Gold Rush The Epidemic's Shadow 4. In Search of Canaan Bound for Nicaragua The Dilemma of John Rapier Sr. The Minnesota Territory Canada West and James Thomas Rapier 5. The Midwest, Haiti, and Jamaica Into "Bleeding Kansas" Steamboating on the Mississippi John Rapier Jr. in the Caribbean 6. The Mighty Scourge of War James Thomas in St. Louis John Rapier Jr.'s Continuing Odyssey The War's End Epilogue Afterword: Through the Prism of a Black Family About the Sources Appendix 1: Petitions of Ephraim Foster and James Thomas to the Davidson County Court, 1851 Appendix 2: John Rapier Sr. to Richard Rapier, April 8, 1945 Appendix 3: John Rapier Jr. to James Thomas, July 28, 1861 Selected Bibliography on Slavery Index
