“Black Politics and the Creation of Citizenship” – Presented by Sandy Spring Museum

In the decades before the Civil War, African Americans in the North lived in a tenuous freedom, denied political rights and threatened with kidnapping and enslavement. In this presentation, Christopher Bonner explores individual and collective strategies African Americans used to defend their freedom and secure rights. The ambiguous, powerful concept of citizenship was central to those strategies. By claiming that they were citizens in demands for specific rights, black activists did critical work to create the meaning of American citizenship in the early nineteenth century. Focusing on the story of a man arrested and accused of being a fugitive slave in New York, Bonner explores complex black activist communities and highlights the radical possibilities of African American politics.

Registration is required. You will receive the link to the meeting via email once registered.