To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors after the Civil War

Tera W. Hunter, the author of To ‘Joy My Freedom, is a professor of history at Princeton University. Her work, which focuses on slavery, women, gender, and labor, contributes to Southern history and the history of the working class. As a historian addressing long-neglected subjects in her field, Hunter must seek out additional resources to augment the limited information found in traditional primary sources. She looks at population data, household records, and arrest records to provide a more accurate portrait of the history of women, African Americans, and the working-class.

Hunter’s narrative focuses on an exploration of history “from below,” as opposed to focusing on great men (and to a lesser extent, white women) who dominated history up until the last few decades. For example, Hunter’s discussion of Lugenia Burns Hope, an African-American woman central to the founding of the Neighborhood Union, demonstrates the importance of affluent African-American women to the country’s settlement house movement. Hunter’s inclusion of African-American women who were ex-slaves and/or members of the working class is an important feature of her work. Even the book’s title signals her intent to give voice to the black experience: The title comes from a statement made by ex-slave Julie Tillory, who came to Atlanta against all odds to experience the benefits of being free at last.