A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration Plot Summary

Preview of A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration Summary:

In A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration, Steven Hahn traces the development and negotiation of African American politics in the South. He focuses on such topics as how African Americans constructed themselves as political actors, how they engaged in political struggled during slavery and after emancipation, and how they helped shape American politics during the nineteenth century.

The first part of the book discusses African American political resistance under slavery and during the Civil War. Hahn argues that blacks were much more political during the time of slavery than many people think. They resisted white oppression by forming ties with one another, collectively struggling for better lives, and by taking part in revolts and escapes to freedom in the North. During the Civil War, tens of thousands of former slaves took up arms against their former owners. Through...
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