Under the Freedom Tree, Susan VanHecke
Under the Freedom Tree, Susan VanHecke
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Under the Freedom Tree

Author: Susan VanHecke

Narrator: Myra Lucretia Taylor

Unabridged: 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 04/18/2014


Synopsis

Taut free verse tells the little-known story of the first contraband camp of the Civil War--seen by some historians as the "beginning of the end of slavery in America." One night in 1861, three escaped slaves made their way from the Confederate line to a Union-held fort. The runaways were declared "contraband of war" and granted protection. As word spread, thousands of runaway slaves poured into the fort, seeking their freedom. These "contrabands" made a home for themselves, building the first African American community in the country. In 1863, they bore witness to one of the first readings of the Emancipation Proclamation in the South--beneath the sheltering branches of the tree now known as Emancipation Oak.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kirsti on January 21, 2014

What a beautiful poetic book about a crucial part of history! I LOVED this non-fiction picture book!!!!......more

Goodreads review by Courtney on November 13, 2017

This book tells the story of three men who were slaves that escaped a confederate camp. It tells their story of escaping the camp and become contrabands of war. Under the Freedom Tree, tells their story through poetry and tells the story of the beginning of slavery’s end. The plot of this book is a......more

Goodreads review by Lynn on September 08, 2017

Beautifully illustrated, this is a true story about three black men who bravely made an escape from Confederate troops who held them in slavery in 1861. Their success opened the way for thousands of others to make the same journey to seek freedom. Two years later they were legally free by presidenti......more

Goodreads review by Maughn on September 27, 2021

This book contributes to the vocabulary of injustice children and adults need to learn: own, work, beat, sell, slaves, shackles, whip, chattel, seceded, contraband, runaways, stowaways, “reading, writing--so long forbidden,” war, freedom.......more