RJA #14: Annotated Bibliography, Part 2

Batty, Peter. (1987. The Divided Union: The Story of the Great American War, 1861 -1865.Topsfield, MA: Salem House Publishers.

This book is the companion to the television series of the same name. It provides a history of the Civil War along with its attendant political, economic and social implications.


Blight, D. W. (2001). Race and Reunion: The Civil War In American Memory. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

This reveals the complicated exchange between North and South following the Civil War to both forget and rebuild. It exposes how the rift between both sides was closed by an unspoken mutual agreement and acceptance of racially charged segregationist agenda and the aftermath of such an alliance on the country as a whole.
This source provided the ground for the aspect of the argument that historical accuracy, or inaccuracy, determines present perceptions and impacts all social, cultural and political interactions in America.

Buckmaster, H. (1992). Let My People Go. Columbia, S.C.: University of South
Carolina.

Buckmaster emphasizes African and African Americans’ active resistance efforts which ultimately garnered their emancipation and prominent figures within the Abolitionist movement. An Afrocentric view, it cites numerous accounts of justified rebellion and acts of defiance to captivity. Further, it repudiates the stereotype of the meek, obedient slave or white supremacist attitude that renders Black inferior in intelligence or lacking in skills of critical reasoning which would render them incapable of planning of sustaining active resistance, much less ultimately achieving their freedom.


Covington, James W. (1992). The Seminoles of Florida. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

This text is a comprehensive guide to the Seminoles of Florida. It explains the history of the tribe, including its break with the Creeks and its multi- ethnic make-up. This book was used to highlight aspects of Seminole culture as it relates to the Black Seminoles.

Ellison, M. (1983). Black Perceptions and Red Images: Indian and Black Literary Links. Phylon, Vol. 44, No. 1, 1st Qtr. , 44 - 55.

This article provides a literary analysis of Black and Indigenous peoples’ relationships. It outlines the history of relational dynamics between Black and Indigenous peoples through commonality in oral traditions and looks at folk heroes, particularly the trickster and other archetypes of both groups. Both African and Indigenous Americans, joined in opposition to a common oppressor, it seems, possess a natural affinity for each other. The relationship, when viewed with accuracy, reveals a complex set of dynamics rife with ambiguity and mutual admiration.
This source was used to strengthen the aspect of the argument which focuses on cooperation between African captives and Indigenous Americans.



Tucker, P. T. (Spring, 1992). John Horse: Forgotten African-American Leader of the Second Seminole War. The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 77, No. 2 , 74-83.

This article outlines the military exploits of Black Seminole, John Horse during the course of the Second Seminole War. It demonstrates his brilliance as a military strategist and commitment to opposing enslavement by any necessary means. This article was used to support the argument that the Seminole Wars are primarily African/African-American campaigns.