Freedom: Volume 1, Series 1: The Destruction of Slavery : A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861-1867 (Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation)

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Summary: Slavery's Evil Power Comes Alive
Review: This volume is the first of a series of books documenting the march from slavery to freedom in the U.S. from 1861-1867. The team of historians from the Freedmen and Southern Society Project at the University of Maryland began in 1976 (assisted over the years by many graduate students) to select original documents from the National Archives that best illustrated the process of emancipation, abetted in some states by the central role played by the slaves themselves in attaining their freedom. Letters, affidavits and proclamations from slaveholders, politicians, non-slaveholders, bureaucrats and slaves--complemented by the editors's illustrative footnotes--bring to life the voices of 19th century America wrestling with a destructive institution that led to civil war. While the editors present but a small percentage of the archive's holdings, they have chosen the most powerful and illuminating documents that should be read by every American.