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Index of all pages in this sectionRead the Afrolumens Site Book...
The Year of Jubilee
Vol. 1: Men of God and Vol. 2: Men of Muscle
by George Nagle
The
Year of Jubilee is the history of Harrisburg's free African American
community, from the era of colonialism and enslavement to hard-won freedom. Volume
One, Men of God, covers the turbulent beginnings of this community,
from Hercules and the first enslaved persons, the growth of slavery in central
Pennsylvania, the Harrisburg area slave plantations, early freedom seekers, to the birth of a free Black community. Men of God is a detailed
history of Harrisburg's first Black entrepreneurs, the early Black
churches, the first Black neighborhoods, and the maturing of the social
institutions that supported this vibrant community. It
includes an extensive examination of state and federal laws governing
slave ownership and the recovery of runaway slaves, the growth of the
colonization movement, anti-colonization efforts, anti-slavery, abolitionism
and radical abolitionism. It concludes with the complex relationship
between Harrisburg's Black and white abolitionists and details the
efforts and activities of each group as they worked separately at first,
then learned to cooperate in fighting against slavery. More
here Non-fiction,
history. 607 pages, softcover. Non-fiction,
history. 630 pages, softcover. Volume
One and Two Available free to read now. Click here to read.
Both volumes of the Afrolumens book are no longer in print, although used copies may be found. You may also read the entire text of the book on this site.
Volume
Two, Men of Muscle continues the history from 1850 and the Fugitive Slave
Law of 1850, through the explosive 1850s to the coming of Civil War
to central Pennsylvania. In this volume, Harrisburg's African American
community weathers kidnappings, raids, riots, plots, murders, intimidation,
and the coming of war. Caught between hostile Union soldiers and deadly
Confederate soldiers, they ultimately were forced to choose between fleeing
or fighting. This is the true and dramatic story of that choice.