{"product_id":"stories-of-freedom-in-black-new-york-9780674008939","title":"Stories of Freedom in Black New York","description":"\u003cp\u003eStories of Freedom in Black New York recreates the experience of black New Yorkers as they moved from slavery to freedom. In the early decades of the nineteenth century  New York Citys black community strove to realize what freedom meant  to find a new sense of itself  and  in the process  created a vibrant urban culture. Through exhaustive research  Shane White imaginatively recovers the raucous world of the street  the elegance of the citys African American balls  and the grubbiness of the Police Office. It allows us to observe the style of black men and women  to watch their public behavior  and to hear the cries of black hawkers  the strident music of black parades  and the sly stories of black conmen. Taking center stage in this story is the African Company  a black theater troupe that exemplified the new spirit of experimentation that accompanied slaverys demise. For a few short years in the 1820s  a group of black New Yorkers  many of them ex-slaves  challenged pervasive prejudice and performed plays  including Shakespearean productions  before mixed race audiences. Their audacity provoked feelings of excitement and hope among blacks  but often of disgust by many whites for whom the theaters existence epitomized the horrors of emancipation. Stories of Freedom in Black New York brilliantly intertwines black theater and urban life into a powerful interpretation of what the end of slavery meant for blacks  whites  and New York City itself. Whites story of the emergence of free black culture offers a unique understanding of emancipations impact on everyday life  and on the many forms freedom can take.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45651508002869,"sku":"ByrdShop_0674008936","price":1331.93,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780674008939.jpg?v=1781835276","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/stories-of-freedom-in-black-new-york-9780674008939","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}