Out of Slavery African Americans in Towns & Cities Along the Eastern Seaboard

Abstract

Utilizing primary and secondary sources alongside raw data from databases covering slave ships, slave sales, and demographic information, this research paper alongside its accompanying Omeka exhibit tells the stories of African American communities in small towns situated throughout the Eastern Seaboard and their contribution to their respective societies through economic and settlement development along with cultural contributions. These contributions include but are not limited to the creation of businesses, participation in social organizations, the servicing of their local communities, participation in social justice movements, Accompanying the thesis is an Omeka exhibit providing photographs to provide visualization. The intention of the Omeka exhibit is to provide a visual representation of the research paper. The Omeka exhibit also holds images relating to individuals that are mentioned within the research portion of the paper. The scope covers states along the “Eastern Seaboard” which would include the following states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North & South Carolina, Georgia, & Florida. The scale of the project included researching families in towns and cities, conducting genealogical research to confirm familial relationships, and using census records, newspaper clippings, and books written on local history to better understand their contributions to their communities and their roles in the history of said communities.Master ArtsHistoryCollege of Online and Continuing Educatio