African American Voices In The Mid-Atlantic: Archaeology Of Elusive Freedom, Enslavement, And Rebellion

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "African American Voices In The Mid-Atlantic: Archaeology Of Elusive Freedom, Enslavement, And Rebellion," at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Forged in Philadelphia by revolutionary minds, the United States Constitution granted freedom and equality to the nation’s citizenry. Yet, many were decidedly left out. For Black Americans, free and enslaved, these concepts were elusive and, through oppression, have never been fully enjoyed. The papers in this session examine African American cultural history and communities, marginalization and rebellion, freedom and enslavement in the upper Mid-Atlantic from the colonial period to the mid-20th century. As an abolitionist stronghold, the voices, experiences, struggles, and advances of the African American community in this region have been traditionally whitewashed and ignored. Archaeologists, historians, consultants, preservationists, and artists in the region have been steadfastly working to bring nuance to African Americans’ important lives and contributions in the region and to share these findings through various forms of research and public engagement.