{"product_id":"black-masters-michael-p-johnson-9780393303148","title":"Black Masters: A Free Family of Color in the Old South","description":"In 1860, when four million African Americans were enslaved, a quarter-million others, including William Ellison, were \"free people of color.\" But Ellison was remarkable. Born a slave, his experience spans the history of the South from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. In a day when most Americans, black and white, worked the soil, barely scraping together a living, Ellison was a cotton-gin maker--a master craftsman. When nearly all free blacks were destitute, Ellison was wealthy and well-established. He owned a large plantation and more slaves than all but the richest white planters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e While Ellison was exceptional in many respects, the story of his life sheds light on the collective experience of African Americans in the antebellum South to whom he remained bound by race. His family history emphasizes the fine line separating freedom from slavery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael P. Johnson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0393303144\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780393303148\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e W. W. Norton \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/1986\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 440\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.15lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.40w x 1.20d","brand":"Michael P. Johnson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43993956548863,"sku":"9780393303148","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_627c5565-20ea-4211-bd80-84d72b339318.jpg?v=1683327275","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/black-masters-michael-p-johnson-9780393303148","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}