Resistance

Hahn's work, A Nation Under Our Feet, is in many ways concerned with African American resistance to white repression and violence within the political arena. Although slaves are sometimes thought to have been completely powerless under the institution of slavery, Hahn shows that this is not entirely true. While they certainly experienced a great deal of repression, violence, and vulnerability over their lives, they also were sometimes able to resist their owners and the institution of slavery in various ways. They built communities in their locations, cared for one another, and collaborated in some circumstances against their owners or others. They were able to negotiate for paid labor, most often on their off days or at harvest time.

Once the Civil War broke out, slaves continued to resist by helping Union soldiers, keeping rumors of rebellion alive, and by taking over abandoned plantations. Many slaves fled for Union...