Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-172) and index.
Contents:
Escape -- Relief -- Encouraging the Exodus -- The Red Sea -- The gateway to the West -- Beyond the Exodus.
Summary:
"In the aftermath of the Civil War, thousands of former slaves made their way from the South to the Kansas plains. Called "Exodusters," they were searching for their own promised land. Bryan Jack now tells the story of this American exodus as it played out in St. Louis, a key stop in the journey west. Many of the Exodusters landed on the St. Louis levee destitute, appearing more as refugees than as homesteaders, and city officials refused aid for fear of encouraging more migrants. To the stranded Exodusters, St. Louis became a barrier as formidable as the Red Sea, and Jack tells how the city's African American community organized relief in response to this crisis and provided the migrants with funds to continue their journey."--Back cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.