Justice for ourselves: Black Virginians claim their freedom after slavery

Foreword / Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan

"I Ain't No Slave": Freedom in Virginia before the Civil War

"We Will All Be Free": Self-Emancipation during the Civil War

"To Own Oneself Is to Own One's Future": The Meaning of Freedom

"We Claim the Right of Suffrage": The Politics of Freedom

"Send a Colored Man": The Politics of Free Men

"Without Distinction of Color": Readjusters, Education, and Biracial Politics

"I Am Constantly Busy": Enduring Daily Life in Jim Crow Virginia

"To Take Our Place in the Business World": The Segregated Economy

Epilogue: "To Set Up Lofty Landmarks"

Afterword / Ajena Cason Rogers

Appendix: Virginia's Black Leaders, 1850-1900.