DC Public Library System

The St. Louis African American community and the Exodusters, Bryan M. Jack

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-172) and index

government publication of a state province territory dependency etc

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The St. Louis African American community and the Exodusters

bibliography

176860695

Bryan M. Jack

"A story of former slaves searching for their own promised land after the Civil War. Fleeing the South, and trying to reach Kansas, many became stranded in St. Louis. Jack tells how the city's African American community provided food, shelter, and funds to help the Exodusters complete their journey"--Provided by publisherFor many Exodusters, former slaves who made their way from the South to the Kansas plains in the aftermath of the Civil War, St. Louis was a key stop in the journey west. However, many landed on the St. Louis levee destitute, and city officials refused aid for fear of encouraging more migrants. Bryan Jack tells how the city's African American community organized relief in response to this crisis, but he also shows that black aid to the Exodusters was more than charity--community support was a form of collective resistance to white supremacy and segregation as well as a statement for freedom and self-direction. The St. Louis African American community understood that if the Exodusters' right to freedom of movement was limited, so would be the rights of all African Americans. He also discusses divisions within that community and among its leaders regarding the nature of aid and even whether it should be provided

Escape -- Relief -- Encouraging the Exodus -- The Red Sea -- The gateway to the West -- Beyond the Exodus

Saint Louis African American community and the Exodusters