Under the Freedom Tree

by Susan VanHecke

Other authorsLondon Ladd (Illustrator)

Paperback, 2019

Status

Available

Call number

811.54

Genres

Fiction

Collections

American History, Picture Books

Publication

Charlesbridge (2019), Edition: Reprint, 32 pages

Description

Tells of the Civil War's first contraband camp that began when three escaped slaves were granted protection at a Union-held fort, prompting runaway slaves to seek freedom there and build the country's first African American community.

User reviews

LibraryThing member BeckieZimmerman

This is an historical fiction, poetry picture book I think is more appropriate for older grades. Because of the content of slavery, a more mature concept, and also the formatting of the poems I think may be hard to understand has a younger reader. I believe this is more suitable for perhaps 4th or

5th grade. I think this was great story depicting the slaves’ journey towards freedom and had great symbolism of the oak tree, but I do think it could be difficult to understand. I don’t think this would be a great book to read aloud, I feel like the poetry didn’t really have a traditional, “story-telling” format, it focused more the sound words and repetition of descriptors, which is great when analyzing poetry but it would be choppy to read aloud to the class. But this is a great example of poetry, and could be great for a student to read and analyze individually, I know I had to reread some parts to clarify the plot. But overall I do think this is a useful book depicting beautiful poetry techniques, and portraying the central message of the importance of freedom and independence.

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LibraryThing member rjones34

Summary: "Under the Freedom Tree" is a free-verse narrative that tells the true story of the Civil War's first contrabands. Three men, Frank, James, and Shepard escaped the Confederate line one night in 1861 and rowed across the harbor to a Union-held fort. Instead of returning the men back to

their master, the union claimed them as "enemy property" in order to protect them. These men opened the door for countless others to escape to the fort. All the contrabands soon built a community and helped the North win the war until the day that slavery was abolished, where they all celebrated under a tree, now known as the "Emancipation Oak."

Review: The central message of this story is Frank, James, and Shepard were three slaves that took a courageous step towards building a better life for themselves which, as a result, opened a door for many other slaves to become protected by the Union until slavery ended. The book says "But here at Slabtown, here at the Camp, they are not what they once were. Slabtown is their town, so too the Camp." This quote reiterated the brave step those three men took towards freedom. The work was still hard and their living conditions were not great but it was better than before, as a slave, because they now had a home.

I liked how the story was written in poetry and how the book showcased everyone's dialects. For example, the book discussed the community of Slabtown and how missionaries would visit where they said "Worship God, sing praises, and pray. We shall teach your children." The book immersed me into the culture of that time because iti used their dialects and explained what they did at the Camp.

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LibraryThing member Sullywriter

Free verse story about the first contraband camp formed during the Civil War in Hampton, Virginia.

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