Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-239) and index.
African American resources at Lancaster County Historical Society
Contents
Chapters: THE ESCAPE // BLACK IMAGES IN WHITE MINDS // THE CHASE // THE RIOT // AFTERMATH // STRATAGEMS // THE TRIAL // RACE, VIOLENCE , AND LAW // RACE, RIOTS AND LAW // CONCLUSION
Summary
"This book tells the story of a riot that erupted on September 11, 1851 at Christiana, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and of the people whose lives were changed forever by that violent event. Shortly after dawn on that day, Lancaster's African-American community rose up in arms against attempted enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850; and, in the course of saving four men from the federal posse charged to reenslave them, rioters killed the Maryland farmer who was trying to reclaim his human chattel." [from the introduction]
Includes bibliographical references (p. [319]-330) and index.
Summary
"But We Have No Country" examines how William Parker and the Christiana Resisters tested the basic tenets of American democracy and law, especially the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. In doing so, they exposed the contradiction between the theory of the American creed and the reality of the enslavement and oppression of black Americans. Ultimately the Christiana Resistance was a contest of wills between Parker and his self-defense organization, with natural law on their side, and Edward Grosuch and other white slave owners, armed, literally with civil law. Their struggle encapsulized the more immense battle of how to incorporate the institution of slavery in a so-called free society which was waging nationwide. It was a clash that Parker and the valiant Resisters won. [from Amazon.com]
Chapters: Tench Tilghman,patriot of the Eastern Shore // The Penobscot Expedition ,water graves in Maine // John White Geary , a widely traveled giant // The Christiana Riot, prelude to Civil War // Matthew Stanley Quay , Beaver , Pennsylvania's practitioner of the Art of the Possible // William Jackson , Present at the birth of American armor
Summary
"The stories are ... accurate treatments of now nearly forgotten people and events. Hopefully, they will stimulate the reader to study other more extensive writings. Suggested references are included in the bibliography. I would like to think that this goal will be realized and some of the dust which has collected in a half century and more has been wiped away, if only briefly." [from the author]
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography ; v. 142, no. 2
Summary
"This article discusses the 1809 conviction of Susanna Cox for first-degree murder following the death of her newborn son. It uses sources from history and oral tradition in order to examine the case's long- and short-term ramifications for political and social interpretations of capital punishment within Pennsylvania. I explore the impact one case could have on legal history, the treatment of accused and convicted women, issues of linguistic separation within the courtroom, and changing legislative patterns within the commonwealth. These factors contributed to the case's ongoing impact on regional and ethnic social memory."
