Description
Book SynopsisRunning from Bondage examines the ways in which enslaved women fought for their freedom during and after the Revolutionary War. Exploring who these women were and what motivated them to escape, Karen Cook Bell places their compelling stories within the broader historical narratives of slave resistance and the American Revolution.
Trade Review'Karen Cook Bell's research brilliantly shows that the phenomenon of Black female flight in the period of slavery was not idiosyncratic but was, in fact, pervasive. This pathbreaking and beautifully written work centers the voices of Black women in slavery and abolition. A must-read.' Anne C. Bailey, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, History Department, and Director of the Harriet Tubman Center for the Study of Freedom and Equity, Binghamton University
'In this new account of the American Revolution, Karen Cook Bell tells the story of how Black women flipped slavery's geography of containment upside down and redrew it as a treasure map to self-liberation. Her deep dives into fugitive sources bring back amazing stories of women who seized a time of war and disruption as the opportunity to carry themselves and their loved ones out of bondage. After Running from Bondage, no account of this period will be complete unless it shows how Black women's freedom-seeking brought about revolutionary changes.' Edward E. Baptist, Professor of History, Cornell University
'Fugitive lives matter! Through the lives and actions of fugitive enslaved women, Running from Bondage will compel the reader to consider the impact of the enslaved upon the American Revolutionary Era. Karen Cook Bell simultaneously restores women to the discussion of fugitivity while restoring both women and fugitivity to the larger narrative of slave resistance during the period.' Peter J. Breaux, Associate Professor of History, Southern University and A&M College
'Collectively, Running from Bondage artfully situates fugitive women in the history of the American Revolution and Black resistance … Future scholars of Black women's experience in the Revolution and beyond would be wise to consult Bell's findings and to mirror her approach.' G. Patrick O'Brien, H-Net Reviews
'Gracefully written and convincingly argued, Running from Bondage deserves the attention of anyone interested in gender, slavery, or the American Revolution.' Natalie Zacek, The Journal of Interdisciplinary History
'Bell has offered an invaluable service in bringing to the center those who have held a 'peripheral position' in the historical record.' Ryan C. McIlhenny, Journal of the Early Republic
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Enslaved women's fugitivity; 1. 'A negro wench named Lucia': Enslaved women during the eighteenth century; 2. 'A mulatto woman named Margaret': Pre-Revolutionary fugitive women; 3. 'A well-dressed woman named Jenny': Revolutionary Black women, 1776–1781; 4. 'A negro woman called Bett': Overcoming obstacles to freedom in Post-Revolutionary America; 5. Confronting the power structures: Marronage and Black women's fugitivity; Conclusion.
