In Search Of The Promised Land Analysis

In Search of the Promised Land, written by John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger, presents a story of the Thomas-Rapier family who has many family members who experience their own struggles and different journeys in search of this promised land they hope to find. The authors describe different tales of Sally Thomas and her kin as they live through and encounter the harsh forces of racism and slavery. While exploring the family’s search for freedom, economic stability, and the promised land where black people would be treated equally, the authors illustrate an unknown aspect of southern history of the quasi-free slaves and free blacks. The authors were extremely successful at providing useful and insightful information about quasi-free slaves and free blacks in the south during harsh times of racism. The book uses many examples to describe the danger of being a black in the south during these times, no matter if you were a free black, a quasi-free slave, or a straight up slave for a local slave owner. Franklin and …show more content…
The narrative would not suffice for those looking for a broader subject or theoretically based, historically accurate analysis of the family’s troublesome experiences in the South during racial times, but it provides a thrilling story and exceptional view of history via the Thomas-Rapier family. Franklin and Schweninger provide many detailed and accurate accounts from a variety of Southerners which help to develop the completed picture by the end of the book. According to the editors of the book, James West Davidson and Michael B. Stoff, “In Search of the Promised Land is a prime example of [narratives that engage the readers and serve as lenses into the most illuminating scholarship]: a tale unique in its blend of archival richness, narrative twists and turns, and interpretive