217 Slavery and Freedom in Early Maryland

How do you uncover the life of an enslaved person who left no paper trail?

What can the everyday life of an enslaved person tell us about slavery, how it was practiced, and how some enslaved people made the transition from slavery to freedom?

We explore the life of Charity Folks, an enslaved woman from Maryland who gained her freedom in the late-18th century. Our guide through Charity’s life is Jessica Millward, an Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine and author of Finding Charity’s Folk: Enslaved and Free Black Women in Maryland.

This episode originally posted as Episode 089.

Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/217

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Complementary Episodes

• Episode 070: Jennifer Morgan, How Historians Research
• Episode 083: Jared Hardesty, Unfreedom: Slavery in Colonial Boston
• Episode 084: Zara Anishanslin, How Historians Read Historical Sources
• Episode 176: Daina Ramey Berry, Price For Their Pound of Flesh
• Episode 212: Erica Dunbar, Research Biography

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