A new birth of freedom : the Republican Party and freedmen's rights, 1861 to 1866 / Herman Belz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Belz, Herman.

Series:

Reconstructing America (Series) ; no. 5.

Reconstructing America Series, 1523-4606 ; no. 5

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ).

African Americans--Civil rights--History.

African Americans.

African Americans--Civil rights.

History.

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )--History.

Physical Description:

xxi, 199 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

[2000 edition].

Place of Publication:

New York : Fordham University Press, 2000.

Summary:

A New Birth of Freedom: The Republican Party and Freedmen's Rights, 1861-1866, is an account of how laws, policies and constitutional amendments defining and protecting the personal liberty and civil rights of the country's African American population were adopted during the Civil War. A study in legal and constitutional history, it complements and forms a necessary predicate to the social history of emancipation that is the principal focus of contemporary Civil War scholarship. The relevance of the legal dimension in the struggle for black freedom is attested by the observation that many slaves "learned the letter of the law so they could seemingly recite from memory" passages from congressional measures prohibiting the return of escaped slaves to disloyal owners and guaranteeing their personal liberty.

Contents:

1 Emancipation Legislation and the Right of Personal Liberty, 1862 3

2 Military Service and National Citizenship 17

3 Presidential Reconstruction and Freedmen's Policy 35

4 Congressional Reconstruction and Freedmen's Rights 51

5 Freedmen's Bureau Legislation and Civil Rights 69

6 The Freedmen's Bureau Act of 1865 92

7 Civil Rights, Federalism, and the Thirteenth Amendment 113

8 Equality Before the Law 138

9 The Civil Rights Settlement of 1866 157.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [183]-192) and index.

ISBN:

0823220109

0823220117

OCLC:

42935819