We All Got History:: The Memory Books of Amos Webber

In the midst of his research on labor history, Cornell University historian Salvatore (Eugene V. Debs) accidentally came upon the nine-volume journals of a factory worker named Amos Webber (1826- 1904), an activist in the black communities of Philadelphia and Worcester, Mass. Salvatore makes a yeoman's effort to flesh out citations and contextualize Webber's life, but unfortunately Webber's circumspect writings can't support a fully vitalized portrait of his experiences, motives and passions. Salvatore describes the violence Webber faced in early 19th-century Philadelphia, his role in fraternal organizations like the Odd Fellow and his apparent aid to abolitionists. Webber volunteered for the segregated Massachusetts cavalry and suffered numerous slights, but he took from it sense of the promise of American citizenship--fuel for his moral efforts in the lodge and church to seek equal rights for blacks. Illustrations. (Feb.)