Beyond the Boundaries of Childhood
African American Children in the Antebellum North
By Crystal Lynn Webster

Approx. 208 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 10 halftones, notes, bibl., index
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Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4696-6323-4
Published: June 2021 -
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4696-6322-7
Published: June 2021
John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture
Paperback Available June 2021, but pre-order your copy today!
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Reading her sources against the grain, Webster reveals a complex reality for antebellum Black children. Lacking societal status, they nevertheless found meaningful agency as historical actors, making the most of the limited freedoms and possibilities they enjoyed.
About the Author
Crystal Lynn Webster is assistant professor of history at The University of Texas, San Antonio.
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Reviews
"With a novel and important focus on the construction of Black childhood in the antebellum North, Beyond the Boundaries of Childhood prompts us to rethink the construction of childhood and the experiences of Black children and their parents in northern cities."--Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Rutgers University
“A remarkable book that speaks to some of the most enduring questions in African American history and politics: what is the meaning of freedom? Is ‘free’ really free? How have Black families navigated institutionalized racism that seeks to undermine their intimate ties? By placing Black children and mothers at the center of her work, Crystal Webster unearths histories that too often have remained invisible.”--LaKisha Michelle Simmons, University of Michigan
"Webster's innovative and beautifully written book demonstrates how Black children in the antebellum North claimed freedom and redefined childhood as they played, worked, and moved through the built environment of schools, orphanages, and city streets. With nuanced attention to material realities and imaginative worlds, Webster brilliantly reveals Black children's contributions to the political struggle for equality and human liberation.”--Corinne Field, University of Virginia