Neither Fugitive nor Free : Atlantic Slavery, Freedom Suits, and the Legal Culture of Travel

• Tác giả: Edlie L Wong
• ISBN-13: 978-0814795460
• Thông tin xuất bản: New York : New York University Press, 2009.
• Mô tả vật lý: 1 online resource (368 pages) : , ill. ;
• Bộ sưu tập: Tài liệu truy cập mở
• ID: 461900
• Chủ đề: 1. American literature--African American authors; 2. American literature--History and criticism--19th century; 3. Antislavery movements--History--19th century--United States; 4. Blacks--Travel--19th century; 5. Law and literature--History--19th century--United States; 6. Law in literature; 7. Slave narratives--History and criticism; 8. Slavery--Law and legislation--19th century--United States; 9. Slavery in literature; 10. Slaves--Legal status, laws, etc--19th century--United States; 11. Slaves--Travel--19th century

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Tóm tắt

Studies lawsuits to gain freedom for slaves on the grounds of their having traveled to free territory, starting with Somerset v. Stewart (England, 1772), Commonwealth v. Aves (Massachussetts, 1836), Dred Scott v. Sanford, and cases brought questioning the legitimacy of Negro Seamen Acts in the antebellum coastal South. These lawsuits and accounts of them are compared to fugitive slave narratives to shed light on both. The differing impact of freedom obtained from such suits for men and women (women could claim that their children were free, once they were judged free) is examined.