Freedom Seekers
Fugitive Slaves in North America, 1800–1860

Examines the experiences of runaway slaves in North America, conceptually dividing the continent into three distinct 'spaces of freedom'.

Damian Alan Pargas (Author)

9781107179554, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 November 2021

288 pages
23.6 x 16 x 2.2 cm, 0.61 kg

'Finally, we have a book that frees fugitive slave studies from the trappings of conventional national and regional frameworks. Damian Pargas' attention to various spaces of liberty as a continental phenomenon transforms our understanding of slavery and freedom in nineteenth century North America. The result is a paradigm-shifter.' Jeffrey R. Kerr-Ritchie, author of Rebellious Passage: The Creole Revolt and America's Coastal Slave Trade

In this fascinating book, Damian Alan Pargas introduces a new conceptualization of 'spaces of freedom' for fugitive slaves in North America between 1800 and 1860, and answers the questions: How and why did enslaved people flee to – and navigate – different destinations throughout the continent, and to what extent did they succeed in evading recapture and re-enslavement? Taking a continental approach, this study highlights the diversity of slave fight by conceptually dividing the continent into three distinct – and continuously evolving – spaces of freedom. Namely, spaces of informal freedom in the US South, where enslaved people attempted to flee by passing as free blacks; spaces of semi-formal freedom in the US North, where slavery was abolished but the precise status of fugitive slaves was contested; and spaces of formal freedom in Canada and Mexico, where slavery was abolished and runaways were considered legally free and safe from re-enslavement.

Introduction: 1. The changing geography of slavery and freedom
2. 'Lurking amongst the free Negroes': spaces of informal freedom in the Urban South
3. 'As if their own liberty were at stake': spaces of semi-formal freedom in the Northern United States
4. 'Departure from the house of bondage': spaces of formal freedom in British Canada and Mexico
Conclusion
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Slavery & abolition of slavery [HBTS], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], History of the Americas [HBJK]