Susan VanHecke
Taut free verse tells the little-known story of the first contraband camp of the Civil Warâ€”seen by some historians as the "beginning of the end of slavery in America." One night in 1861, three escaped slaves made their way from the Confederate line to a Union-held fort. The runaways were declared "contraband of war" and granted protection. As word spread, thousands of runaway slaves poured into the fort, seeking their freedom. These "contrabands" made a home for themselves, building the first African American community in the country. In 1863, they bore witness to one of the first readings of the Emancipation Proclamation in the Southâ€”beneath the sheltering branches of the tree now known as Emancipation Oak.
Poetry,Childrens,Picture Books,History,Nonfiction,Military History,Civil War,Cultural,African American,Cultural,Childrens,War,North American Hi...,American History
Under the Freedom Tree