Freedom Struggle

By 1860 nearly 4 million black people were slaves in the United States. The lives of these people were very difficult and provided them no freedoms. In the early part of the 19th century, rumblings from people who felt that slavery was wrong began to surface. These people came to be known as abolitionists. Freedom Struggle tells the story of the fight they waged to end slavery in America. The reader will learn about leaders of the anti-slavery movement, including Frederick Douglass, the Grimkes, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown, among others, and how members of the Underground Railroad helped slaves escape the South to the free states of the North. The slavery debate took over and divided the nation, becoming one of the primary issues of the Civil War and threatening to destroy our country. Examples of arguments from opposing sides are found in this book. After many struggles and many years, constitutional amendments (the 13th and the 14th) were passed giving black Americans greater civil liberties and ended slavery in the U.S. The abolitionists had won! Like the other books in the series, Freedom Struggle is illustrated with period photographs, paintings and drawings. Also included are a glossary and an index.

Meredith Ackroyd - Children's Literature

Part of the National Geographic "Crossroads America" series, this nonfiction title presents a basic historical overview of slavery and the push for abolition in the United States. The text is presented in simple, direct language and is supplemented with myriad pictures, photographs, boxed quotations, a glossary, and an index. Its focus on notable figures in the anti-slavery movement—such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, William H. Seward, and John C. Calhoun—is an excellent distillation of the different points of view in the anti-slavery debate. Although a wide-ranging treatment of the anti-slavery movement, this book would be best used in the context of more in-depth study of the subject, as it has a tendency to jump from one historic act, person, and event to the next rather than treating them as part of a historical and cultural continuum. At times, government acts are mentioned without a detailed explanation, therefore requiring additional research or knowledge on the part of the reader for a true understanding of their historical significance. Furthermore, although the text is richly supplemented with art, photographs, and cultural objects in a museum-like fashion, little if any identifying or explanatory information regarding these visual objects is given, thus obscuring their important role in shaping and presenting the points of view represented by each side of the anti-slavery debate. Teachers and parents who want their students to examine the ways of seeing presented in such cultural artifacts may wish to look elsewhere for a better-documented, critical text. 2005, National Geographic Society, Ages 8 to 12.