Forging Freedom: The Formation of Philadelphia’s Black Community, 1720–1840

by Gary B. Nash

Book Overview

This book is the first to trace the good and bad fortunes, over more than a century, of the earliest large free black community in the United States. Gary Nash shows how, from colonial times through... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674309332
• Release Date: March 1991
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 0.8" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

An Excellent, Highly Readable Overview

Researching life in Philadelphia in the 1790's, I was looking for a concentrated source that would give an overview of the role of African-Americans in the city, and ran across this book. It was exactly right. It provides a concise overview of the origins of the African-American population, the various social classes, the leaders and dynamics of the community, and the relevant historical and social developments. I am not a scholar in this period, but the book appears to be well-researched, with numerous references to statistics and primary source materials. This is no dry statistical tome, however; It also provides lots of meaty details about the lives and views of particular individuals, both African-American and White, who are part of the overall story. It is well-footnoted, for those who want to trace the documentation or sources further. It is just what the title promises, and highly readable to boot.