The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family - Historical Biography & Social Justice Book for Civil Rights Studies and American History Enthusiasts

Product Description

The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family

This groundbreaking biography by award-winning historian Kerri Greenidge offers a fresh perspective on the legendary abolitionist Grimke sisters, Sarah and Angelina. While celebrating their contributions to the antislavery movement, Greenidge shifts focus to the often-overlooked Black members of the Grimke family, providing a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of their complex family history.

The book explores the lives of Nancy Weston and her three sons—Archibald, Francis, and John—born to Sarah and Angelina's violent brother, Henry. It follows the brothers' journeys in the North, where Archibald and Francis became prominent figures in the post-Civil War Black elite.

Greenidge's narrative centers on the Black women of the family, including:

• Nancy Weston
• Charlotte Forten, Francis's wife and a brilliant intellectual and reformer
• Angelina Weld Grimke, Archibald's daughter, who channeled her family's history into modernist literature during the Harlem Renaissance

Spanning from the 18th to the 20th century, the book traces the family's story from Charleston to Philadelphia, Boston, and beyond. It presents the Black Grimkes as complex individuals shaped by their origins and critically examines the white Grimke sisters' racial paternalism and limited vision of Black equality.

This landmark biography of a significant multiracial American family explores how the Grimkes embodied the traumatic yet generative legacy of America's racial myths. It offers valuable insights into the ongoing struggle for racial and gender equality, drawing parallels between historical events and contemporary issues.

The Grimkes has received numerous accolades and recognition from esteemed publications and institutions, solidifying its place as an important contribution to American historical literature.