Freedom on the Move
@writingtwobooks.bsky.social
Freedom on the Move is a collective digital history project based at Cornell but partnering with multiple institutions, including HBCUs. We are constructing a free and open archive of all extant North American runaway slave ads.
Pinned
We are continuing our important work! Shout out to Megan for this excellent post on instagram!
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
I ran from the Upper Marlboro, MD plantation of Levi Osbourn in September 1850; I might have hoped to get to DC and find shelter there, but I was caught. In October 1850, I was shipped from Baltimore to New Orleans by slave trader J.S. Donovan. My name was HANNIBAL BUTLER. #slavery #blackhistory
October 2, 2025 at 11:45 PM
I ran from the Upper Marlboro, MD plantation of Levi Osbourn in September 1850; I might have hoped to get to DC and find shelter there, but I was caught. In October 1850, I was shipped from Baltimore to New Orleans by slave trader J.S. Donovan. My name was HANNIBAL BUTLER. #slavery #blackhistory
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
In 1900, Black librarian Daniel Murray began a bibliography of works by Black Americans, his goal “to secure every book and pamphlet in existence, by a Negro Author”, exhibit them at the 1900 Paris Exposition, and then archive them at @LibraryCongress: publicdomainreview.org/collection/d...
October 2, 2025 at 11:46 AM
In 1900, Black librarian Daniel Murray began a bibliography of works by Black Americans, his goal “to secure every book and pamphlet in existence, by a Negro Author”, exhibit them at the 1900 Paris Exposition, and then archive them at @LibraryCongress: publicdomainreview.org/collection/d...
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
had an amazing in-depth conversation w/ @jaredlholt.bsky.social & @michaelehayden.bsky.social about the history of the antifa bogeyman in America, what antifa is in the MAGA imagination, and what Trump's executive order declaring antifa "domestic terrorists" means
open.spotify.com/episode/7xlC...
open.spotify.com/episode/7xlC...
040: What the Hell is Antifa? feat. Christopher Mathias
open.spotify.com
September 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
had an amazing in-depth conversation w/ @jaredlholt.bsky.social & @michaelehayden.bsky.social about the history of the antifa bogeyman in America, what antifa is in the MAGA imagination, and what Trump's executive order declaring antifa "domestic terrorists" means
open.spotify.com/episode/7xlC...
open.spotify.com/episode/7xlC...
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
"Presenting music from 1687 through the 1860s in modern treble clef and banjo tablature, along with the rich stories behind each song, Gaddy and Giddens take readers on a journey from the Caribbean across the Americas."
This book looks absolutely wonderful for musicians and historians alike.
This book looks absolutely wonderful for musicians and historians alike.
September 29, 2025 at 1:36 AM
"Presenting music from 1687 through the 1860s in modern treble clef and banjo tablature, along with the rich stories behind each song, Gaddy and Giddens take readers on a journey from the Caribbean across the Americas."
This book looks absolutely wonderful for musicians and historians alike.
This book looks absolutely wonderful for musicians and historians alike.
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
This ad was published in a Charleston, SC newspaper in 1857. (Transcription in Alt text.) #slaveryarchive 🗃
![$100 REWARD. RANAWAY FROM me, on the 2d of September, 1857, my slave JOHN. He is 17 years old, 5 feet 8 inches high, slender and awkward, long narrow face, sharp chin, mouth small, lips thick and not well closed; he has blue eyes, sandy hair and inclined to curl only; his complexion so far as to be generally mistaken for white. He has S L on one side and V E on the other side of his face, picked in with Indian ink; he said he would remove those letters, which will leave sores or scars on his face.
I will give $20 to have him lodged in any safe confinement, $30 for delivery to me at Gillisonville, and $50 for proof to convict any responsible person for harboring him; and any information respecting him will be thankfully received. WM. YOUMANS.
Gillisonville, S.C., Oct 8, 1857.
[Source: Charleston Mercury, Nov. 5, 1857]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kok4aqdr3qnsj6ktfkq76kqz/bafkreib6xctjlzrx2k52yepvxnmpl7jqqf4dwe3rkimsdutofjxhzsz3ci@jpeg)
September 24, 2025 at 2:55 AM
This ad was published in a Charleston, SC newspaper in 1857. (Transcription in Alt text.) #slaveryarchive 🗃
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
Just got word from WHA that the great historian Quintard Taylor has passed away. His book, In Search of the Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West was such a huge inspiration in my own work on the region. Also first Black president of WHA. A legend who will be missed.
September 22, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Just got word from WHA that the great historian Quintard Taylor has passed away. His book, In Search of the Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West was such a huge inspiration in my own work on the region. Also first Black president of WHA. A legend who will be missed.
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
Autism is back on the front pages. Why not read the book that my excellent @manchester.ac.uk @manchstm.bsky.social colleague Dr Bonnie Evans has published on the history of autism? It's open access and you can read it online for free.
www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781...
www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781...
September 23, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Autism is back on the front pages. Why not read the book that my excellent @manchester.ac.uk @manchstm.bsky.social colleague Dr Bonnie Evans has published on the history of autism? It's open access and you can read it online for free.
www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781...
www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781...
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
Cambridge is *hiring* in post-1920 US political history and/or history of the US in the world. Closing date October 27. Please spread the word or, if you're an early career scholar in those fields, TELL NO ONE but please apply!
networks.h-net.org/jobs/69140/u...
networks.h-net.org/jobs/69140/u...
University of Cambridge - UK - Assistant Professor, History of the United States since 1920 | H-Net
networks.h-net.org
September 22, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Cambridge is *hiring* in post-1920 US political history and/or history of the US in the world. Closing date October 27. Please spread the word or, if you're an early career scholar in those fields, TELL NO ONE but please apply!
networks.h-net.org/jobs/69140/u...
networks.h-net.org/jobs/69140/u...
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
Coming in 2026!
September 22, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Coming in 2026!
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
"Terrell and her fellow activists saw the need for a national organization to provide a network of women-led initiatives, among them voting rights and racial justice. Terrell...was among the principals in the 1953 Supreme Court case that desegregated restaurants and stores in Washington, DC."
Discover the legacy of Mary Church Terrell, cofounder of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, educator, and women’s rights advocate who fought segregation. www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smiths...
Activist and Writer Mary Church Terrell Led the Charge for Desegregation
Discover the legacy of Mary Church Terrell, cofounder of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, educator, and women’s rights advocate.
www.smithsonianmag.com
September 20, 2025 at 2:47 PM
"Terrell and her fellow activists saw the need for a national organization to provide a network of women-led initiatives, among them voting rights and racial justice. Terrell...was among the principals in the 1953 Supreme Court case that desegregated restaurants and stores in Washington, DC."
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
Taking Stock and Setting Agendas: A Workshop on Data, Digital Humanities, and Early American Studies.
Grateful for the audience, copanelists, and organizers.
Grateful for the audience, copanelists, and organizers.
September 20, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Taking Stock and Setting Agendas: A Workshop on Data, Digital Humanities, and Early American Studies.
Grateful for the audience, copanelists, and organizers.
Grateful for the audience, copanelists, and organizers.
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
I ran from Eliza Martin in September 1850; we were then living at the house of Dr. John Gibson, her brother, in Calvert County, Maryland. I wasn’t able to take much with me from the house, and I might not have gotten very far before I was captured. My name was BETSY. #slavery
September 16, 2025 at 11:50 PM
I ran from Eliza Martin in September 1850; we were then living at the house of Dr. John Gibson, her brother, in Calvert County, Maryland. I wasn’t able to take much with me from the house, and I might not have gotten very far before I was captured. My name was BETSY. #slavery
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
office door material right here
It was like “would you like me to humanize this paper?” And I was like bro! Humanize yourself!!!
September 19, 2025 at 2:28 PM
office door material right here
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
In the #AHRSyllabus module “Unpacking the History of Higher Education,” authors use college and university digital archives to capture the rich histories of women’s sports, LGBTQ+ student experiences, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. 🗃️
Unpacking the History of Higher Education
doi.org
September 19, 2025 at 3:07 PM
In the #AHRSyllabus module “Unpacking the History of Higher Education,” authors use college and university digital archives to capture the rich histories of women’s sports, LGBTQ+ student experiences, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. 🗃️
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) has published new tutorial videos focusing on searching BBIH and using BBIH to research the histories of race and ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+, emotions, social class, and health.
September 19, 2025 at 11:00 AM
The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) has published new tutorial videos focusing on searching BBIH and using BBIH to research the histories of race and ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+, emotions, social class, and health.
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
Leeds Beckett Uni, I am coming!
October 8 at noon at the Humanities Hub on City Campus.
This is my first author talk or my trade book and yes it is in England during their Black History Month.
Very grateful.
October 8 at noon at the Humanities Hub on City Campus.
This is my first author talk or my trade book and yes it is in England during their Black History Month.
Very grateful.
September 19, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Leeds Beckett Uni, I am coming!
October 8 at noon at the Humanities Hub on City Campus.
This is my first author talk or my trade book and yes it is in England during their Black History Month.
Very grateful.
October 8 at noon at the Humanities Hub on City Campus.
This is my first author talk or my trade book and yes it is in England during their Black History Month.
Very grateful.
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
Join us for a discussion on how #PublicHistorians can push back on efforts to sanitize or avoid "controversial" topics in their workplaces! Register at https://community.ncph.org/event/workplacechallenges #Skystorians
September 19, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Join us for a discussion on how #PublicHistorians can push back on efforts to sanitize or avoid "controversial" topics in their workplaces! Register at https://community.ncph.org/event/workplacechallenges #Skystorians
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
I escaped and ran after William G. Matthews, town clerk of Fayetteville, NC sold me to Poindexter & Edmondson of Halifax, VA in September 1850. My fate might have been to be shipped to New Orleans, but they were still looking for me in September 1853. I was called HANNIBAL. #slavery
September 18, 2025 at 10:05 PM
I escaped and ran after William G. Matthews, town clerk of Fayetteville, NC sold me to Poindexter & Edmondson of Halifax, VA in September 1850. My fate might have been to be shipped to New Orleans, but they were still looking for me in September 1853. I was called HANNIBAL. #slavery
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
A Collection of Old English Customs, and Curious Bequests and Charities (1842) publicdomainreview.org/collection/c...
*A Collection of Old English Customs, and Curious Bequests and Charities* (1842)
A compilation of historical gifting traditions in England, with a focus on the peculiar.
publicdomainreview.org
September 17, 2025 at 2:33 PM
A Collection of Old English Customs, and Curious Bequests and Charities (1842) publicdomainreview.org/collection/c...
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
When I was 12 years old, I ran away from Number 170 South Sharp Street in Baltimore, Maryland. It was September 1850, and I left without shoes or a coat, only a short dress. My name was MARIA. #slavery #BlackHistory
September 14, 2025 at 10:01 PM
When I was 12 years old, I ran away from Number 170 South Sharp Street in Baltimore, Maryland. It was September 1850, and I left without shoes or a coat, only a short dress. My name was MARIA. #slavery #BlackHistory
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
More than 1/5 of all undergraduate students are parents, and, like many of them, Bridgette Ellis lives on a tight budget, supporting her family with a part-time job and a handful of grants and scholarships that help cover the family’s living expenses.
www.chronicle.com/article/a-mo...
www.chronicle.com/article/a-mo...
For One Mother, College Requires Constant Trade-Offs
The reinvention — and everyday obstacles — of a student parent.
www.chronicle.com
September 11, 2025 at 1:50 PM
More than 1/5 of all undergraduate students are parents, and, like many of them, Bridgette Ellis lives on a tight budget, supporting her family with a part-time job and a handful of grants and scholarships that help cover the family’s living expenses.
www.chronicle.com/article/a-mo...
www.chronicle.com/article/a-mo...
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
The Call for Proposals for NCPH-AASLH 2026 is here! If you’re looking for feedback or possible co-presenters for a proposal-in-progress, you can submit an optional topic proposal by Oct. 15, 2025. https://ncph.org/conference/2026-annual-meeting/topic-proposal-form/
September 11, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The Call for Proposals for NCPH-AASLH 2026 is here! If you’re looking for feedback or possible co-presenters for a proposal-in-progress, you can submit an optional topic proposal by Oct. 15, 2025. https://ncph.org/conference/2026-annual-meeting/topic-proposal-form/
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
How widespread were medieval technological objects, and who owned them? Read about where they were found in medieval households in a new DALME feature essay by Dan Smail. dalme.org/features/a-n...
September 9, 2025 at 1:46 PM
How widespread were medieval technological objects, and who owned them? Read about where they were found in medieval households in a new DALME feature essay by Dan Smail. dalme.org/features/a-n...
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
It begins.
I am in talks with a Lead Editor at Louisiana State University Press for my 2nd book.
This is the book that will earn me tenure.
"Pest Control: Birds, Black Folk, and the History of Environmental Consciousness in the United States South" by Christy Hyman
I am in talks with a Lead Editor at Louisiana State University Press for my 2nd book.
This is the book that will earn me tenure.
"Pest Control: Birds, Black Folk, and the History of Environmental Consciousness in the United States South" by Christy Hyman
September 10, 2025 at 1:41 PM
It begins.
I am in talks with a Lead Editor at Louisiana State University Press for my 2nd book.
This is the book that will earn me tenure.
"Pest Control: Birds, Black Folk, and the History of Environmental Consciousness in the United States South" by Christy Hyman
I am in talks with a Lead Editor at Louisiana State University Press for my 2nd book.
This is the book that will earn me tenure.
"Pest Control: Birds, Black Folk, and the History of Environmental Consciousness in the United States South" by Christy Hyman
Reposted by Freedom on the Move
In early September 1850 I ran from the store of merchant Zora H. H. Cropper, at No. 92 Dugan’s Wharf, Baltimore, MD, where I was likely being offered for sale. I was 12 years old and already scarred from the beatings I had received. My name is UNKNOWN. #slavery #Baltimore
September 9, 2025 at 12:45 PM
In early September 1850 I ran from the store of merchant Zora H. H. Cropper, at No. 92 Dugan’s Wharf, Baltimore, MD, where I was likely being offered for sale. I was 12 years old and already scarred from the beatings I had received. My name is UNKNOWN. #slavery #Baltimore