Life in a Black Community: Striving for Equal Citizenship in Annapolis, Maryland, 1902-1952 tells the story of a struggle over what it meant to be a citizen of a democracy. For blacks, membership in a democracy meant full and equal participation in the life of the town. For most whites, it meant the full participation of only its white citizens, based on the presumption that their black neighbors were less than equal citizens and had to be kept down....

"The concept of parole may seem naïve today but was widely used during our previous wars with England and Mexico. The names of officers and enlisted men captured on the battlefield, along with their rank and unit, were recorded and each signed an oath not to take up arms against their captors until properly exchanged. Then they simply went home and waited for a notice from their government to return to active duty ... It soon became evident to the...

A chronological account of nine decades of antislavery activity in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia, culminating in the Civil War. Challenging slavery could entail negotiating for freedom by manumission; grasping freedom by flight or insurrection; or uniting with external allies in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, or the Civil War. Free black people also undermined slavery as workers, worshippers, teachers, and writers. Whites who aided black...

"Unearth clues to your past. Not all research can be done from home - sometimes you have to head into the field. Cemeteries are crucial for any genealogist's search, and this book will show you how to search for and analyze your ancestors' graves. Discover tools for locating tombstones, tips for traipsing through cemeteries, an at-a-glance guide to frequently used gravestone icons, and practical strategies for on-the-ground research. And once you've...