Slavery and Freedom in the Rural North

This is an excellent book—the stories used to illustrate points are brilliant and the research is impressive. -- Douglas R. Egerton, author of Gabriel's Rebellion: The Virginia Slave Conspiracies of 1800 & 1802
Hodges's book represents an outstanding achievement. Providing a close examination of the lives of African Americans in the rural county of Monmouth, New Jersey, over a broad temporal sweep from the country's first settlement by Europeans to the total elimination of slavery on the eve of the Civil War, it both shows the critical economic role of slaves in the north and provides the fullest examination of the lives of rural blacks north of the Mason Dixon line. It is a landmark study that brings a level of specificity to the analysis of rural African American life in the north. -- Jack P. Greene, Mellon Professor in the Humanities, Johns Hopkins University
This book expands our understanding of the African American experience in the North, and provides welcome source material for schools, libraries, and readers of New Jersey history. -- Gail Hunton, Historian, Monmouth County Park System
A brilliant exploration of slavery in a local setting. * CHOICE *
Hodges' meticulously documented and beautifully written social history offers valuable insight into the harsh conditions of African-American life and race relations in the rural antebellum North. Highly recommended. * Library Journal *