Mississippi in Africa: The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect Hill Plantation and Their Legacy in Liberia Today

by Alan Huffman

Book Overview

When wealthy Mississippi cotton planter Isaac Ross died in 1836, his will decreed that his plantation, Prospect Hill, should be liquidated and the proceeds from the sale be used to pay for his slaves'... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592400442
• ISBN13: 9781592400447
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Gotham Books
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

What a story!

Huffman takes readers through quite a journey as he gives the history of abolitionists in Mississippi and the ultimate return of blacks to Africa. His story is fascinating and I simply couldn't put down the book until I read every page.

Great mix of history and current events

The first section of this book, in telling the events that led to the freedom of the Prospect Hill slaves, provides the reader with a detailed historical background regarding slavery, the mood of the country, and the many complex forces working both for and against those slaves in the mid-Nineteenth Century United States. For a history buff, this was lagniappe on top of what was already a very fascinating story.The second section of the book chronicles the author's trip to Liberia to contact descendants of the freed slaves. Again, in addition to a very interesting story, the reader is treated to more, from the history of the country to a detailed account of present day conditions in this impoverished, war-torn country.The author took an interesting story and did a great job of putting it on paper. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history.

A better understanding

Recently I heard Huffman speak about his book. I was unfamiliar with the story he told. Although his talk was interesting enough to result in my purchase of the book, it did not prepare me for the journey i took once I read the book. This book is a must read for anyone interested in discovering an overlooked and fascinating piece of Mississippi history and the history of slavery. The story he tells is one we all should read for a better understanding of how the intentions of one country man in Mississippi a century later can influence a country in Africa.

Southern History Discovered

Alan Huffman has pieced together an amazing true pre-Civil War story of the freeing of hundreds of former slaves and their passage from Mississippi to Africa, all carried out pursuant to the dying wishes of a plantation owner after years of politicized legal wrangling. Mr. Huffman's journey in tracing the current descendants of the former enslaved to current day Liberia then reminds us of how the past and the present always come together, and of the eternal struggles found in the innateness--good and bad--of human nature.

Hard to put down

Great example of true, hard-to-find storytelling. Very compelling. For those who love history combined with modern-day issues this is the book to read. Easy to see that a great deal of research went into telling the story of a group of Mississippi slaves and what became of them and their descendants over the course of a century and a half. Takes you back in time -- down a road of intrigue, sadness and hope for the future. Huffman does a nice job.