Breaking the Chains: African American Slave Resistance
NEW UPDATED EDITION PUBLISHED 2023 BY SEVEN STORIES PRESS:
Breaking the Chains: African American Slave Resistance
“The compelling, provocative story of the resistance and courage of African slaves in their never-ending struggle for freedom…important history.” — USA Today
Though they have never appeared in a school text, Hollywood movie or a TV show of the Old West, Black Indians were there as sure as Sitting Bull, Davy Crockett and Geronimo. Their story began at the time of Columbus, ranged from North American forests to South American jungles, and the jewel-like islands of the Caribbean.
The first freedom paths taken by runaway slaves led to Native American villages. There black men and women found a red hand of friendship and an accepting adoption system and culture. The sturdy offspring of Black-Indian marriages shaped the early days of the fur trade, added a new dimension to frontier diplomacy, and made a daring contribution to the fight for American liberty. Early Florida history was determined by a powerfull alliance that fought the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines to a standstill for forty years.
Like other intrepid frontier people, these dark Americans braved every peril for a slice of the American Dream—freedom, a safe home, family happiness and a piece of one’s own land. In the chronicles of the Americas their long, arduous quest for freedom is still a neglected chapter.
Through careful research and rare antique prints and photographs, this book reveals how black and red people learned to live and work together in the Americas to oppose white oppression. Here is an American story that reveals a little-known aspect of our past and shatters some myths.
Book Reviews
“Katz masterfully steers the reader step by step through the astonishing forms of resistance, both active and passive. . . . this powerful and authentic collection will be welcomed by those seeking to reclaim the truth behind their heritage.” Publishers Weekly
“He wrote about heroic Black women, slave rebellions, and antislavery movements when discussing such matters was dangerous and seen as unpatriotic.” – Jesse Weaver Shipley, professor of African and African American Studies and Oratory at Dartmouth College
“[Breaking the Chains] will force many readers to reexamine their assumptions about American history. . . . Young adults will be fascinated and better informed for having experienced this book.” — School Library Journal
Centering Black voices and the narratives of enslaved people, Breaking the Chains offers a thoroughly researched account of the ways people in bondage were themselves a driving force behind their own emancipation. With primary sources photographs and testimonies and period illustrations throughout, and with updated language that returns personhood and intent to those written about, this essential book by celebrated historian and author William Loren Katz is “a significant contribution to American history” — Kirkus Reviews
“In his Breaking The Chains