In Between Slavery and Freedom; Julie Winch explores the complex world of those people of African birth or descent who occupied the “borderlands†between slavery and freedom in the 350 years from the founding of the first European colonies in what is today the United States to the start of the Civil War. However they had navigated their way out of bondage – through flight; through military service; through self-purchase; through the working of the law in different times and in different places; or because they were the offspring of parents who were themselves free – they were determined to enjoy the same rights and liberties that white people enjoyed. In a concise narrative and selected primary documents; noted historian Julie Winch shows the struggle of black people to gain and maintain their liberty and lay claim to freedom in its fullest sense. Refusing to be relegated to the margins of American society and languish in poverty and ignorance; they repeatedly challenged their white neighbors to live up to the promises of “life; liberty and the pursuit of happiness†enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Winch’s accessible; concise; and jargon-free book; including primary sources and the latest scholarship; will benefit undergraduate students of American history and general readers alike by allowing them to judge the evidence for themselves and evaluate the authors’ conclusions.
#1592093 in Books 2002-10-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.14 x .66 x 6.11l; .94 #File Name: 0742507653288 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy MarcusI got what I expected on time. Couldn't ask for more.5 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Unbiased only up to a pointBy WideAwake InventorThis is a must-read in its field. The authors thoroughly present each viewpoint as seen by its adherents; making it possible for the reader to imagine what it might be like to know of no alternatives. This includes the simplistic extremes of scientific creationism; in which the earth is created in 6 days with an initial "appearance of history" in an Eden complete with belly buttons and tree rings; and naturalistic materialism; in which miracles; meaning events not merely novel but inexplicable in principle; never occur. And then there is "the muddle in the middle;" the attempted compromises that "are; in their simplest form; contradictory."But; nonpolemical intent notwithstanding; in the end the authors; professors of physics and history respectively at conservative Eastern Nazarene College; betray their bias. This occurs first when they "whimsically" adopt "the perspective of traditional religious believers" by applying to popularizers of science the pejorative label "Council of Despair;" which "provides us with little reason to believe that the world might have a purpose and no reason to cling to the old-fashioned idea of hope." Readers will have to imagine for themselves the sensible and cheerful people who have no need of that hypotheses and who; absent tangible evidence of a universal "Who" as author of a universal "Why;" see such an idea as old-fashioned anthropomorphism. So; while ID proponent William Dembski is quoted as calling naturalism a "disease;" "the intellectual pathology of our age;" it is for the reader to decide which viewpoint is pathological.The second betrayal of bias is in regard to intelligent design; identified as an old argument which "in the late 1980s and early 1990s ...was revitalized by a cadre of talented advocates" and "a brilliant Berkeley law professor" (Philip Johnson). Some see them as neither talented nor brilliant; since the "intelligence" they so casually postulate could not credibly have been physical (having neither means of micro-manipulation of DNA nor a site for its own intelligence); leaving only the option of the so-called supernatural. Which surely appeals to those who believe in "purpose" given to; rather than arising within; the individual; but which others see as mere wish fulfillment. On which psychological grounds rests; in the end; this entire controversy.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Overview of the Creation/Naturalism DebateBy PeterI wasn't expecting much from this little-heard-of book; but I was pleasantly surprised. It is articulately written; and bubbles with an eagerness about its topic. Whether you know nothing about the origins debate in the United States; or have done much research already; this book will surely be one to hang onto. The conflicting opinions are laid out in a very easy-to-read fashion without leaving off the details; which provides a fresh look into this often murky clash. The authors have also placed at the end of each chapter a swath of resources that allow an interested reader to investigate further.The only complaint I have about the book is that in the notes at the end of the chapter; the authors often provide paragraphs of useful information. I found myself flipping back and forth between the notes and various spots in the chapter after I had finished reading it; which got a little tedious. I have no clue why they didn't move the info from the notes into the body of the chapter.
