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To address you as my friend : African Americans' letters to Abraham Lincoln / edited by Jonathan W. White ; foreword by Edna Greene Medford.
- Format:
- Book
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- African Americans--Correspondence.
- African Americans.
- African Americans--Social conditions--19th century.
- Enslaved persons--Emancipation--United States.
- Enslaved persons.
- Antislavery movements--United States--History--19th century.
- Antislavery movements.
- American letters.
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans.
- United States.
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Correspondence.
- Lincoln, Abraham.
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Political and social views.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource
- Other Title:
- African Americans' letters to Abraham Lincoln
- Place of Publication:
- Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [2021]
- Summary:
- "Many African Americans of the Civil War era felt a personal connection to Abraham Lincoln. For the first time in their lives, an occupant of the White House seemed concerned about the welfare of their race. Indeed, despite the tremendous injustice and discrimination that they faced, African Americans now had confidence to write to the president and to seek redress of their grievances. Their letters express the dilemmas, doubts, and dreams of both recently enslaved and free people in the throes of dramatic change. For many, writing Lincoln was a last resort. Yet their letters were often full of determination, making explicit claims to the rights of U.S. citizenship in a wide range of circumstances. This compelling collection presents more than 120 letters from African Americans to Lincoln, most of which have never before been published. They offer unflinching, intimate, and often heart-wrenching portraits of Black soldiers' and civilians' experiences in wartime. As readers continue to think critically about Lincoln's image as the 'Great Emancipator,' this book centers African Americans' own voices to explore how they felt about the president and how they understood the possibilities and limits of the power invested in the federal government"-- Provided by publisher.
- Contents:
- Foreword / by Edna Greene Medford
- Prologue: One of Lincoln's Oldest Friends
- Chief Executive. Petitions for Pardon ; Correspondence Related to Colonization
- Commander in Chief. Letters Related to Military Recruitment and Volunteering ; Protests against Unequal Pay for Black Soldiers ; Requests for Discharge from the Service ; Letters from Soldiers in Trouble
- Chief Citizen. Requests for Equal Treatment ; Prayers for Aid for Christian Ministries ; Letters Seeking Economic Rights and Opportunities ; Mementos
- Epilogue. Massa Sam's Dead!
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-269) and index.
- Description based on print version record.
- ISBN:
- 979-88-908579-6-5
- 1-4696-8840-9
- 979-88-908579-7-2
- 1-4696-6510-7
- OCLC:
- 1268984201
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