Back Through the Veil: A Brief History of African-Americans Living in Mansura,

ISBN-13: 9781536892932 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 208 str.

Donald G. Prier Phd

Opis

Mansura, Louisiana is a small, French-heritage town in the central section of the state. Although it was formally incorporated after the American Civil War, the area in which it lies was a major slaves holding area from about 1800. Most of the African-American families currently living there are generally unaware of their history, including where their African ancestors were captured, when and where did they arrived in the Americas, who were the people holding them captive, what was it like to live in slavery, how did they achieve their freedom and what was it like to live in Mansura during the post-Civil War Reign of Terror. In this book, we will study the details regarding the first African slaves brought to Mansura. We will learn their names, their languages and who bought and sold them. We will follow the genealogy links of their slave holders to some of the decedents of those slave holders. Later, we will learn how the slaves were not "Happy and Gay," but were, in reality, constantly seeking their freedom in many ways, including violence. Ultimately, we will see the names of several Mansura African -Americans who escaped from slavery and fought in the Civil War on the Union side. Following the war, we will witness the terror that the Freedmen experienced at the hands of angry Whites and, yet, how they were able to build solid lives and families in this terrible environment. Some topics covered include Jim Crowism, the rise of religion and education institutions in Mansura, Share Cropping, Mansura African-Americans in World War I, the Great Flood of 1927, and the Great Depression.