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Ohio River Valley Series
Frontline of Freedom
The Underground Railroad, an often misunderstood antebellum institution, has been viewed as a simple combination of mainly white "conductors" and black "passengers." Keith P. Griffler takes a new, battlefield-level view of the war against American slavery as he reevaluates one of its front lines: the Ohio River, the longest commercial dividing line between slavery and freedom. In shifting the focus from the much discussed white-led "stations" to the primarily black-led frontline struggle along the Ohio, Griffler reveals for the first time the crucial importance of the freedom movement in the river's port cities and towns. Front Line of Freedom fully examines America's first successful interracial freedom movement, which proved to be as much a struggle to transform the states north of the Ohio as those to its south. In a climate of racial proscription, mob violence, and white hostility, the efforts of Ohio Valley African Americans to establish and maintain communities became inextricably linked to the steady stream of fugitives crossing the region. As Griffler traces the efforts of African Americans to free themselves, Griffler provides a window into the process by which this clandestine network took shape and grew into a powerful force in antebellum America.
- GenresHistory
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 23, 2021
Good story, easy read, and teaches some very good insights into Slavery in America.
August 4, 2013
I read Frontline of Freedom in researching the first book in my upcoming "Three Quaker Brides" series. Book one takes place in and near 1820 Cincinnati, Ohio, where my heroine Honor Cathwell joins the Female Antislavery Society.
Frontline of Freedom is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of the struggle for abolition, the beginnings of the Underground Railroad (which began in Ohio) and the African-American and white men and women who defied unjust laws to end slavery.
As I read this, I was reminded of the many times, I've "lifted" actual people and events from history because truth is often more exciting than anything I could think up!
Frontline of Freedom is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the history of the struggle for abolition, the beginnings of the Underground Railroad (which began in Ohio) and the African-American and white men and women who defied unjust laws to end slavery.
As I read this, I was reminded of the many times, I've "lifted" actual people and events from history because truth is often more exciting than anything I could think up!
October 28, 2015
Griffler is one of many contemporary historians who try to enrich the history of what was called The Underground Railroad by adding the contributions of African Americans themselves, free and enslaved. A good introduction to the topic, focused on the CIncinnati/Lousiville area.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews