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The Maryland History and Culture Bibliography

Preston, Dickson J. Young Frederick Douglass: The Maryland Years. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1980.
Notes: There are a number of excellent biographies of Frederick Douglass including works by Eric Foner, William McFeeley and Benjamin Quarles. For the student of Maryland history, Preston's short but well-researched book focuses on the first twenty years of Douglass' life spent in Talbot County and Baltimore City. His experiences as a slave in Maryland shaped his subsequent career and thus are critical to understanding one of the greatest spokesmen for human rights.

Rogers, Ellen. "James Harris Rogers, Scientist." News and Notes from the Prince George's County Historical Society 13 (July-August 1985): 31-34.

Stiverson, Gregory A. "Who Went to Philadelphia?" News and Notes from the Prince George's County Historical Society 15 (July-August 1987): 23-24.

Sundquist, Eric J., ed. Frederick Douglass: New Literary and Historical Essays. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Verge, Laurie. "Surratt House--In the Spotlight of Infamy." Passport to the Past 2 (March/April 1991): 1-2, 5-6.

Watson, Denton L. Lion in the Lobby: Clarence Mitchell, Jr.'s Struggle for the Passage of Civil Rights Laws. New York: Morrow, 1990.
Notes: Chief lobbyist for the NAACP during the crucial decades of landmark Civil Rights legislation, Clarence Mitchell (1911-1984) was often called the "101st Senator." His wife, Juanita Jackson Mitchell, and mother-in-law, Lillie May Carroll Jackson, were leaders in the state and national NAACP. The story of his life parallels the history of the Civil Rights movement in the 20th century.

Wax, Darold D. "A Philadelphia Surgeon on a Slaving Voyage to Africa, 1749-1751." Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 92 (1968): 465-493.

Weisgal, Deborah. A Joyful Noise: Claiming the Songs of My Fathers. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999.

Wentworth, Jean. "Not Without Honor: William Lloyd Garrison." Maryland Historical Magazine 62 (1967): 318-336.

Williams, Juan. Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary. New York: Times Books, 1998.
Notes: Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. His rise from a modest upbringing in Baltimore is chronicled in this biography by journalist Juan Williams. Marshall's 1954 victory as the lead attorney in <em>Brown v. Board of Education</em> established his standing as a champion in the Civil Rights movement. Early in his career as a lawyer for the NAACP, Marshall argued the case that led to the desegregation of the University of Maryland.

Bluett, Thomas. Some memoirs of the life of Job, the son of Solomon, the high priest of Boonda in Africa; who was a slave about two years in Maryland; and afterwards being brought to England, was set free, and sent to his native land in the year 1734. London: Printed for R. Ford, 1734.

Ball, Charles. Fifty years in chains. New York: H. Dayton; Indianapolis, IN: Dayton & Asher, 1859.

Henson, Josiah. Uncle Tom's story of his life from 1789 to 1877 / Rev. Josiah Henson. Nashville, TN: Winston-Derek Pub., 1997.

Stilll, William. The underground railroad. New York: Arno Press, 1968.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the life of an American slave / Frederick Douglass. Boston : Anti-Slavery Office, 1845.

Douglass, Frederick. The life and times of Frederick Douglass : from 1817-1882. With an introduction by the Right Hon. John Bright. Edited by John Lobb. London : Christian Age Office, 1882.

Douglass, Frederick. My bondage and my freedom. With an introduction. By Dr. James M'Cune Smith. New York: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1855.

Plummer, Nellie Arnold. Out of the depths; or, The triumph of the cross. Hyattsville, MD: n.p., 1927.

Henson, Matthew Alexander. A Negro explorer at the North Pole. N.p., 1912; reprint. New York: Arno Press, 1969.

Abingbade, Harrison Ola. "The Settler-African Conflicts: The Case of the Maryland Colonists and the Grebo 1840-1900." Journal of Negro History 66 (Summer 1981): 93-109.

Adams, E. J. "Religion and Freedom: Artifacts Indicate that African Culture Persisted Even in Slavery." Omni 16 (November 1993): 8.

Adams, Marseta. "H. Rap Brown: 'Fight for your Rights.'" Calvert Historian 11 (Fall 1996): 53-67.

Aidt-Guy, Anita Louise. Persistent Maryland: Anti-slavery Activity between 1850 and 1864. Ph.D. diss., Georgetown University, 1994.

Alpert, Jonathan L. "The Origin of Slavery in the United States: The Maryland Precedent." American Journal of Legal History 14 (1970): 189-222.
Notes: Maryland was the "first province in English North America to recognize slavery as a matter of law" (189). Therefore, the study of Maryland is useful for historians studying how American slavery was a product of the law. Early legislation recognized the existence of slavery, for while indentured servitude and slavery co-existed, and the terms were used interchangeably, the law still distinguished between the two. "All slaves were servants but not all servants were slaves" (193). However, it wasn't until 1664 when a statue was created which established slavery as hereditary. This statute was the first law in English North American to thus establish this type of slavery, legalizing what had been de facto since 1639. The author concludes that laws reflect the attitudes of a society and the manner in which societal problems are resolved. In the case of Maryland, servant problems could be avoided by replacing indentured servitude with perpetual slavery.

Anderson, Douglas. "The Textual Reproductions of Frederick Douglass." Clio 27 (Fall 1998): 57-87.

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