The free Negro in Maryland, 1634-1860

By James Martin Wright and Wright James M (James Martin)

Book Overview

Between slavery and full citizenship lay a precarious freedom. In The free Negro in Maryland, 1634-1860, James M. Wright traces how free people of color built lives, property, and kinship under laws designed to contain them. Documents speak; lives emerge, clearly. This historical monograph is an archival history study and legal history analysis of free black legal status from colonial Maryland history through antebellum Maryland society. Wright follows statutes, court practice, local regulation, and the paper trail of manumission and freedom papers that could protect a person one day and fail the next. The result is both an academic reference book for historians of early American black history and Chesapeake slavery studies, and a grounded, readable guide for anyone curious about how law shaped everyday survival. For family historians, it doubles as a genealogy research guide, pointing to the records and procedures that named individuals who seldom appear elsewhere. Attention to local detail reveals shifting boundaries between labour, residence, and the right to move. The prose stays plain and exacting, making complex legislation legible without losing human stakes. For collectors of classic American studies, it is a foundational title to own. A landmark in its field, the book illuminates the long arc of racial policy and community resilience in one key border region, adding depth to broader narratives of American freedom. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions. Restored for today's and future generations. More than a reprint -- a collector's item and a cultural treasure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9353708575
• ISBN13: 9789353708573
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"