Hopes and Expectations: The Origins of the Black Middle Class in Hartford
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.56 (628 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 143846164X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 270 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-04-09 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Beeching spent many years working in public relations in Connecticut and received a PhD in US history in 2010.. Now retired, Barbara J
Around the same time, Rebecca's brother, Nelson, began writing home about his new life in Boston, as he set out to make a name and a career for himself as an artist. The letters describe their daily lives and touch on race, class, gender, religion, and politics, offering rare entry into individual black lives at that time. Newspapers and census tracts, as well as probate, land, court, and vital records help her trace an arc of local black fortunes between 1830 and 1880. One of the many paradoxes Beeching uncovers is that just as the Civil War was tearing the nation apart, a recognizable black middle class was emerging in Hartford. Living on Maryland's eastern shore, schoolteacher Rebecca Primus sent "home weeklies" to her parents in Hartford and also corresponded with friend Addie Brown, a domestic worker back home. Addie wrote volumi
Beeching provides a richly detailed survey of life in Connecticut, the political and racial climates at various historical moments, and the web of intraracial and interracial networks that informed the Primus family experiences. Multifaceted and thoroughly absorbing, Hopes and Expectations will reintroduce people to a New England that they thought they knew." -- Lois Brown, author of Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins: Black Daughter of the Revolution. "This is a powerful book and a truly important story