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Freedom Was in Sight - Book Review

A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C., Region

By Kate Masur and Liz Clarke

The University of North Carolina Press

This book was chosen for our History book club, January Reading. Most of my review includes my take and a few points discussed in our book club. The book portrays the determination and vision of newly liberated Black Americans during Reconstruction. The role of the community they developed and how it shaped the history of the USA.

This graphical non-fiction work takes a different route than the normal academic supplements by effectively utilizing excerpts from personal letters, public speeches, news articles, academic journals, etc. The best part? The reader does not have to scroll the vast internet to see the references used. A large portion of the non-graphical part of the book is dedicated to actual excerpts for the readers. But again, I was curious and went inside a rabbit hole of references given as footnotes of these excerpts.

There was a nice discussion in our reading club regarding the relevance of this book as an academic instrument. Though everyone agreed on the accessibility window this book opens to many young readers with low attention spans, one drawback people pointed out was the fewer data being discussed or picturized. As the title suggests, the book really focuses on the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) region and does a take on what it is to live like a Black American in this region while the country just got out of a civil war; a new horizon opens up filled with hope and uncertainty in a society slowly refusing their dark norms.

Most senior book club members pointed out how they have been taught about the reconstruction period in their high schools from the 40s to the 80s. One member who had a New York high school education in the 70s remembered how they were taught that Reconstruction was a failure or a mistake. Another member who had schooling in North Carolina around a similar period was taught along the direction of this book. The latter pointed out that this difference is strange, given how these states aligned during the civil war. Other senior members remembered the whole notion of civil war taught in southern schools from the perspective of how a federal system can overshadow state rights, and the aspect of slavery was totally omitted in their curriculum.

Along this line, I would love to share a resource that was brought to our book club: lesson plans to consider how history is taught today compared to when we were in high school. UNC Press lesson plans for AP high school history course.

The book club members also discussed the disrespectful references made by the racists towards Black Americans, White people who migrated from south to north, and vice versa. How these people who fled were treated as not loyal to a side. There was a nice discussion about different forms of slavery around the world, ranging from Black Americans to Royal concubines in Ottoman Imperial Harem that happened in a similar period - How slavery was different in supporting the politics, economics, etc., and how the people who were oppressed had different social "security" nets that were keeping them in that strata.

Personally, I think this graphical work is relevant as an academic tool. I remember how my Roman Catholic parents and the Sunday school teachers always wanted me to read the whole bible, and I refused to read that heavy of text. However, on seeing a graphic Old Testament version in one of my friend's hands, I borrowed it for a week. I inhaled it without hesitation, simply out of curiosity. People like me, who are distracted and discouraged by piles of historical references, can easily access an introduction to the Reconstruction era.

Plus, I firmly believe that an academic tool should incite more curiosity for a student to ponder more about the subject on their own. I was looking for an introduction and to dive into depths but ended up with more questions than I had planned for. How did a group come together for a greater cause to rise above the cultural norms and treat everyone as equals? (I get the moral and civic aspect but was curious about the political ambitions of each side). Then, within a few decades, it propelled the society by introducing the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, leading to emancipation, citizenship, and the right to vote. After which, the steam ran out (or did it?). What made them come together, coexist, build communities, and drive away from some regions in the DMV area. This book gives a brief introduction and moves on.

I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

More resources to enjoy:

  1. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - by Harriet Jacobs
  2. Memories of an Arabian Princess - by Emily Ruete
  3. The Economics of Slavery: And Other Studies in Econometric History - by John R. Meyer
  4. Slavery by Another Name - A PBS Documentry
  5. The African Americans, Many Rivers to Cross - A PBS series with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
  6. Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives - by Siddharth Kara