It took courage : Eliza Winston's quest for freedom /
"On August 22, 1860, an enslaved woman from Mississippi named Eliza Winston petitioned for her freedom before a judge in Minnesota--and won. For more than 150 years, historians' accounts have focused on the implications of the events for Minnesota politics rather than on Winston's own...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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St. Paul, MN :
Minnesota Historical Society Press,
[2024].
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| Summary: | "On August 22, 1860, an enslaved woman from Mississippi named Eliza Winston petitioned for her freedom before a judge in Minnesota--and won. For more than 150 years, historians' accounts have focused on the implications of the events for Minnesota politics rather than on Winston's own story. With It Took Courage, Christopher P. Lehman sets the record straight. Lehman uncovers the never-told story of Winston's first forty-two years and her long struggle to obtain her freedom. She was sold away from her birth family; her husband, a free man, died before he could purchase her freedom. She was enslaved in Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi. A sitting US president--Andrew Jackson--bought her, and that purchase kept her enslaved by his relatives for over a quarter of a century. In It Took Courage the remarkable story of Eliza Winston's battle for freedom is given full expression. Lehman's skillful description shows Winston as a capable, mature woman who understood her life and her values. Eliza Winston made the bold decision to leave behind everything she had known for an uncertain but free future. An appreciation of her story is essential for understanding the legacy of slavery in America"--Back cover |
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| Physical Description: | 279 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781681342825 1681342820 |