Freedom Papers: An Atlantic Odyssey in the Age of Emancipation Book Review
Rebecca J. Scott and Jean M. Hebrard's, Freedom Papers: An Atlantic Odyssey in the Age of Emancipation, is a slim and fantastic historical saga that describes historical events through five generations of the Tinchant family during the time of the Atlantic World. Throughout this book, Scott and Hebrard describes and illustrates the power of written documents as well as it's take on social mobility and the changes through social classes. They focused this "micro-history set in motion" around the different locations in which the Tinchant family arrived to or departured from. For example, places like New Orleans, Cuba and France. The enhanced usage of primary sources as well as other sources such as; …show more content…
It traces her movements through different continents as well as countries as the authors describe the process of being traded from master to master. As well as the power of what written documents in this case papers that were crucial to freedom can do to a person as it went along the lines of "words can protect, and words can enslave." (p.19). During this process of being sold, Rosaline finally ends up being re-bought by a black woman named Marthe Guillaume. Set within the time period of the British occupation, Guillaume filed a manumission letter granting Rosaline freedom, which in return was refused. She later got together with a poor French setter, Michel Vincent, and whom she gave birth to three children to. One being a daughter named Elisabeth. And with that the story continued on to five other generations as they fought for freedom and equality, socially. The fighting, struggling and the success they
Rebecca J. Scott and Jean M. Hebrard's, Freedom Papers: An Atlantic Odyssey in the Age of Emancipation, is a slim and fantastic historical saga that describes historical events through five generations of the Tinchant family during the time of the Atlantic World. Throughout this book, Scott and Hebrard describes and illustrates the power of written documents as well as it's take on social mobility and the changes through social classes. They focused this "micro-history set in motion" around the different locations in which the Tinchant family arrived to or departured from. For example, places like New Orleans, Cuba and France. The enhanced usage of primary sources as well as other sources such as; …show more content…
It traces her movements through different continents as well as countries as the authors describe the process of being traded from master to master. As well as the power of what written documents in this case papers that were crucial to freedom can do to a person as it went along the lines of "words can protect, and words can enslave." (p.19). During this process of being sold, Rosaline finally ends up being re-bought by a black woman named Marthe Guillaume. Set within the time period of the British occupation, Guillaume filed a manumission letter granting Rosaline freedom, which in return was refused. She later got together with a poor French setter, Michel Vincent, and whom she gave birth to three children to. One being a daughter named Elisabeth. And with that the story continued on to five other generations as they fought for freedom and equality, socially. The fighting, struggling and the success they