Been In The Storm So Long Summary

In the novel Been In the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery, Leon F Litwack describes the aftermath of slavery post-Civil War. Litwack uses primary sources and stories from slaves themselves to not only provide evidence to support his thesis but to give the reader an In-depth look into the horrid and abusive life of slaves before, during, and after the Civil War. Litwack advocated that although the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery, slaves wouldn 't gain complete freedom directly after the war. He argued that even post-Civil War, slaves were still oppressed on their rights mainly in the southern states. Litwack proves this point by addressing the multiple viewpoints from white men as well as African Americans, both free and enslaved. The author describes both sides of the story from people who benefited after the war as well as people who continued to suffer after the war. Litwack begins the novel by describing the immediate reaction from both white men and African Americans after the Civil War. He describes how although most slaves were illiterate, many plantation’s’ in the Antebellum South had a slave who could read. For this reason word spread quickly from plantation to planation about the war; many slaves listened in on their white owners conversations about the war. As news spread about the war, restrictions on slaves became more apparent. Litwack recalls a phrase stated by Mary Grayson that …show more content…
Litwack, I had a one-sided viewpoint on the freedom of slaves post emancipation. After reading and engaging with litwack 's work, I now have a different opinion over the issue of race and emancipation post-Civil War. I now question whether Lincoln 's Emancipation Proclamation really freed slaves in the Antebellum South. This novel opened my mind to situations that I never knew existed and information I was not taught in previous history courses that I have taken part