Bibliograph

A madman's will, John Randolph, 400 slaves, and the mirage of freedom, Gregory May

Type

Label

A madman's will, John Randolph, 400 slaves, and the mirage of freedom, Gregory May

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-360) and index

resource.biographical

contains biographical information

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

A madman's will

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1374247405

Responsibility statement

Gregory May

Sub title

John Randolph, 400 slaves, and the mirage of freedom

Summary

"Few legal cases in American history are as riveting as the controversy surrounding the will of Virginia Senator John Randolph (1773-1833), which--almost inexplicably--freed all 383 of his slaves in one of the largest and most publicized manumissions in American history. With this groundbreaking investigation, historian Gregory May now reveals a more surprising story, showing how madness and scandal shaped John Randolph's wildly shifting attitudes toward his slaves--and how endemic prejudice in the North ultimately deprived the freedmen of the land Randolph had promised them. Sweeping from the legal spectacle of the contested will through the freedmen's dramatic flight and horrific reception in Ohio, A Madman's Will is an extraordinary saga about the alluring promise of freedom and its tragic limitations"--, Provided by publisher

Target audience

adult

resource.variantTitle

John Randolph, four hundred slaves, and the mirage of freedom

Classification