Fugitive Slaves

McDougall, Marion GleasonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 438K words
Chapters: 44

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Fugitive Slaves (1619-1865) by Marion Gleason McDougallAuthor: McDougall, Marion Gleason,Language: English, Class: E300: History: America: Revolution to the Civil War (1783-1861), Release Date: Dec 7, 2010

Editor's review

This is a specialized monograph in early abolitionist historiography, tracing the history of the fugitive slave question across the period from 1619 to 1865. Its value lies not in narrative but in offering a systematic survey compiled early and bearing the scholarly imprint of its era, making it suitable as primary material for understanding the historiographical evolution of the subject. Its attention to institutions, cases, and social responses lets readers see the tensions in American social structure on the eve of the abolitionist movement. It is best read as a documentary source rather than popular history: note the author's framing and selection of materials, and compare them against contemporary scholarship. For readers who need original English sources and are concerned with early American history and the study of slavery, this is a usable public-domain e-book.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and scholars of early American history and slavery
History enthusiasts who need original English sources for comparative reading
Readers concerned with the abolitionist movement and the history of institutions
Deep readers accustomed to public-domain e-books

Not a good fit for

General readers expecting popular narrative or story-driven history
Readers who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation
Readers seeking the latest conclusions of contemporary scholarship

Reading tips

Read the preface and table of contents first to grasp the chronological scope and chapter structure before entering the main text.
Keep a notebook and take notes along three lines: institutions, cases, and social responses.
Read alongside a contemporary general history of American slavery to assess the source's standpoint.
For the English original, skim the introductory passages first, then read key chapters closely.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no background in history?

Not really for complete beginners. It is an early specialized study whose prose and organization of materials reflect the scholarly habits of its time, with no popular guide. Readers with a basic knowledge of abolitionist history will find it smoother going; otherwise, start with an introductory general history and then return to this book as a documentary supplement.

Why does the book's timeframe run from 1619 to 1865?

According to the title and the material, this span runs from the early importation stage of slavery in North America to the end of the American Civil War, covering the full process of the fugitive slave question's formation, development, and final institutional turning point. Readers may accordingly understand it as a survey of long-term institutional history rather than a narrative of a single event.

What should readers keep in mind with a public-domain e-book?

This book is released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain electronic text, and its typesetting and annotation conventions may differ from modern publications. Note the edition information and the original wording; where unfamiliar expressions occur, use context to interpret them, and avoid citing it directly as contemporary scholarly consensus.

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About the author

McDougall, Marion Gleason Author · American

McDougall, Marion Gleason was an American scholar about whom little public information is available; details of her life and education are not well documented. She is known to the academic world for her book Fugitive Slaves (1619–1865), which focuses on the experiences and circumstances of fugitive slaves during the early period of American slavery, spanning the years from 1619 to 1865. The work situates its subject within the broader context of the abolitionist movement, using the issue of fugitive slaves to reveal the tensions between American slavery and the forces opposed to it. McDougall's writing is characterized by careful use of historical sources and historical narrative, offering a focused perspective on antebellum American slavery and its opposition. Although records of her personal life are scarce, this book has secured her a place in the study of early American slavery and abolitionism.