Please join the Historical Society of Kent County on Friday, February 1, 2019 at 5:30 pm, as we present Plantations, Slavery & Freedom on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
African Americans, both enslaved and free, were vital to the economy of the Eastern Shore of Maryland before the Civil War. Maryland became a slave society in colonial days when tobacco ruled. Some enslaved people, like Anthony Johnson, earned their freedom and became successful farmers. After the Revolutionary War, others were freed by masters disturbed by the contradiction between liberty and slavery. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman ran from masters on the Eastern Shore and devoted their lives to helping other enslaved people with their words and deeds. Jacqueline Simmons Hedberg uses local records, including those of her ancestors, to tell a tale of slave traders and abolitionists, kidnappers and freedmen, cruelty and courage.
About the author: Jacqueline Simmons Hedberg was born in Dorchester County on Hoopers Island, where her family has lived since the Island’s first settlement more than 350 years ago. Since her retirement from a long career teaching history, she has devoted her time to researching family genealogy and the history of Hoopers Island. She is the author of several books about her birthplace, including Images of America: Hoopers Island and Images of America: Hoopers Island’s Changing Face. In 2010, she received the Maryland Historical Society’s Marion Brewington Prize.
We hope to see you all at the Bordley History Center for this fascinating talk!
History Happy Hour
Bordley History Center
301 High Street
For more information call the Historical Society of Kent County
410-778-3499 or visit our Facebook page.
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~ Historical Society of Kent County