The black hearts of men : radical abolitionists and the transformation of race / John Stauffer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stauffer, John, 1965-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Smith, James McCune, 1813-1865.

Smith, James McCune.

Smith, Gerrit, 1797-1874.

Smith, Gerrit.

Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895.

Douglass, Frederick.

Brown, John, 1800-1859.

Brown, John.

Abolitionists--United States--History--19th century.

Abolitionists.

Antislavery movements--United States--History--19th century.

Antislavery movements.

Abolitionists--United States--Biography.

Radicalism--United States--History--19th century.

Radicalism.

Racism--United States--Psychological aspects--History--19th century.

Racism.

United States--Race relations--Moral and ethical aspects.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (367 p. ) ill., facsims., ports.

Edition:

1st Harvard University Press paperback ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

At a time when slavery was spreading and America was steeped in racism, two white and two black men formed a unique alliance that sought to reconcile ideals of justice with the reality of slavery and oppression.

At a time when slavery was spreading and the country was steeped in racism, two white men and two black men overcame social barriers and mistrust to form a unique alliance that sought nothing less than the end of all evil. Drawing on the largest extant bi-racial correspondence in the Civil War era, John Stauffer braids together these men's struggles to reconcile ideals of justice with the reality of slavery and oppression. Who could imagine that Gerrit Smith, one of the richest men in the country, would give away his wealth to the poor and ally himself with Frederick Douglass, an ex-slave? And why would James McCune Smith, the most educated black man in the country, link arms with John Brown, a bankrupt entrepreneur, along with the others? Distinguished by their interracial bonds, they shared a millennialist vision of a new world where everyone was free and equal. As the nation headed toward armed conflict, these men waged their own war by establishing model interracial communities, forming a new political party, and embracing violence. Their revolutionary ethos bridged the divide between the sacred and the profane, black and white, masculine and feminine, and civilization and savagery that had long girded western culture. In so doing, it embraced a malleable and "black-hearted" self that was capable of violent revolt against a slaveholding nation, in order to usher in a kingdom of God on earth. In tracing the rise and fall of their prophetic vision and alliance, Stauffer reveals how radical reform helped propel the nation toward war even as it strove to vanquish slavery and preserve the peace.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction

ONE. The Radical Abolitionist Call to Arms

TWO. Creating an Image in Black

THREE. Glimpsing God’s World on Earth

FOUR. The Panic and the Making of Abolitionists

FIVE. Bible Politics and the Creation of the Alliance

SIX. Learning from Indians

SEVEN. Man Is Woman and Woman Is Man

EIGHT. The Alliance Ends and the War Begins

Epilogue

Abbreviations

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Originally published: 2002.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-353) and index.

ISBN:

9780674267510

0674267516

9780674043961

0674043960

OCLC:

923111897