Paying Freedom’s Price: A History of African Americans in the Civil War

Civil War expert Escott (Lincoln’s Dilemma), professor of history at Wake Forest University, serves up a slender slice of African-American history that will whet the appetite of readers looking for an introduction to the topic. The book’s content, structure, and simple prose make clear that students are its intended audience. Escott’s argument about the agency of African-Americans in securing their freedom during the war isn’t new, but remains important. Despite any personal relationships enslaved people may have forged with slave owners, Escott states unambiguously that “slaves hated their bondage and the coercion on which it was based.” Escott challenges persistent and unfounded assertions that enslaved African-Americans in the South willingly fought for the Confederacy. He goes on to explain why free African-Americans in the North supported the Union war effort. Escott’s discussion of black civil rights leadership is particularly illuminating and includes a fascinating discussion of the importance of education. The concluding chapter about the failure of Reconstruction is a sobering reminder of how deeply entrenched systemic racism is in the U.S. Though there’s value in a good historical synthesis, the book’s content is so wispy and so reliant on limited, dated scholarship that most instructors will think twice before assigning it. Illus. (Jan.)