{"product_id":"under-the-freedom-tree-isbn-9781580895514","title":"Under the Freedom Tree","description":"Taut free verse tells the little-known story of the first contraband camp of the Civil War—seen by some historians as the \"beginning of the end of slavery in America.\" One night in 1861, three escaped slaves made their way from the Confederate line to a Union-held fort. The runaways were declared \"contraband of war\" and granted protection. As word spread, thousands of runaway slaves poured into the fort, seeking their freedom. These \"contrabands\" made a home for themselves, building the first African American community in the country. In 1863, they bore witness to one of the first readings of the Emancipation Proclamation in the South—beneath the sheltering branches of the tree now known as Emancipation Oak.In 1861, three slaves escape from Confederate Virginia and find freedom. When their owner demands their return under the Fugitive Slave Act,  Union Gen. Frank Butler declares that since Virginia has just seceded,  the men are \"contraband of war.\" Many other escaped slaves join them and  build a community called Slabtown. A year into the war, another town  called Grand Contraband Camp arises from the ruins of Hampton, Va. While  former \"chattel\" spend their days working for the Union Army, their  evenings are devoted to learning letters and numbers from missionary  teachers standing under a live oak. The year 1863 brings the  Emancipation Proclamation, read aloud under what the community calls the  Freedom Tree. A precedent was set as, according to the author's note,  the land grew into Hampton University. The Emancipation Oak, that  Freedom Tree, is now part of a National Historic Landmark District.  VanHecke's free-verse narrative is compelling, informative and emotive,  telling the story by year from 1861 to 1863. Ladd uses acrylic and  pastel paints with colored pencils to present a realistic depiction of  events, the danger that the men faced while escaping and the jubilation  felt as they listened to the words that freed them. \u003cbr\u003eA valuable addition to the expanding canon of books on slaves escaping to freedom.\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eIn 1861, when Union General Benjamin  Butler refused to return three escaped slaves to their owners, calling  them \"contraband of war,\" he set off a little-known episode in history  in which more than nine hundred slaves ended up in Hampton, Virginia,  working for the Union army. They were one step closer to freedom, though  they were far from free. Eventually, schools were set up in Slabtown  and Grand Contraband Camp, and these early schools led to the founding  of Hampton University. Told in a spare, poetic voice, this story is  filled with bravery, luck, and timing. If the initial three men had  escaped any earlier, the Union officer would have been bound by the  Fugitive Slave Act, but with the secession of Virginia, he argued that  the law no longer applied. Realistic acrylic paintings depict the  everyday life of the \"enemy property,\" as the growing community builds a  new town near the old oak tree that serves as shade for the school and  place of joy to celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation. The lengthy  author's note fills in the details left out by the brief verse, making  this one a story to read more than once. Slavery is a challenging topic  to introduce to young readers, but they have to start somewhere. This,  along with Shane Evans's Underground (rev. 1\/11), is a terrific place to begin.\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-The Horn Book\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eA vivid free-verse account of a  little-known event during the Civil War. On a night in 1861, three  slaves escape from a Confederate Army camp and slip across the water to a  Union-held fort. Rather than send them back to their owners, the  general declares them \"contraband of war\" and allows them to stay. This  decision brings a flood of other escaped slaves hoping for something  better. A makeshift town is created, and gradually the \"contrabands\" now  have a space of their own. The story concludes with the announcement of  Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the rejoicing of slaves beneath  the Freedom Tree. The concise verse brings a piece of history to life  and begs to be read aloud, evoking the names and desperation of those  long-ago escapees, while Ladd’s full spreads complement the text and  give faces to the figures. This simple but unforgettable title would be  useful for fleshing out Civil War studies and prompting further  discussion of slavery and emancipation. Additional background  information is included in the author’s note, and the bibliography  provides interested readers with more resources and documents. This  powerful picture book would likely appeal to readers of Charles R. Smith  Jr.’s Brick by Brick (HarperCollins, 2012).\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-School Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eIn staccato verse, VanHecke (Raggin’ Jazzin’ Rockin’) illuminates an absorbing slice of Civil War history: runaway slaves’ establishment of a settlement in newly seceded Virginia. In 1861, three slaves—Frank Baker, James Townsend, and Shepard Mallory—escape by boat from a Confederate camp, “Away\/ from Southern soldiers\/ who would\/ own them,\/ work them,\/ beat them,\/ sell them,\/ keep them slaves forever.” The three men land at a Union camp whose commander declares them “contraband of war” and refuses to return them to the Confederates. They and hundreds of other runaways who subsequently arrive in “Slabtown” work for the Union army and build two camps.  Missionaries educate the children under the branches of the tree now known as the Emancipation Oak, where, in the story’s triumphant finish, a boy reads the Emancipation Proclamation.  Ladd’s (Oprah: The Little Speaker) evocative and subtly textured acrylic, pastel, and colored pencil art reflects the evolving tenor of the story as uncertainty gives way to hope. An extensive author’s note delves deeper into this immersive true story of courage and grit.\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Publishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eSusan VanHecke is the author of Raggin’ Jazzin’ Rockin’: A History of American Musical Instrument Makers (Boyds Mills, 2011), an ALA Notable Children’s Book; and An Apple Pie for Dinner (Marshall Cavendish, 2009), as well as several books for adults. She lives in Norfolk, Virginia.May moon\u003cbr\u003egleams\u003cbr\u003ebright as\u003cbr\u003eColonel’s buttons.\u003cbr\u003eThree slip out unseen.                                          Frank,\u003cbr\u003eJames,\u003cbr\u003eShepard\u003cbr\u003escramble down the sandy bank,\u003cbr\u003ehearts drumming,\u003cbr\u003eeyes darting,\u003cbr\u003eknees trembling.\u003cbr\u003eWeathered skiff bobs in rustling rushes.\u003cbr\u003eQuick now, and\u003cbr\u003equiet!\u003cbr\u003eStars hold their breath\u003cbr\u003eand so do the three,\u003cbr\u003efour miles from the old oak tree.\u003cbr\u003eOars dip,\u003cbr\u003eno sound,\u003cbr\u003esilver ripples.\u003cbr\u003eSteal away now,\u003cbr\u003eaway.","brand":"Charlesbridge","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305518026981,"sku":"NP9781580895514","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781580895514.jpg?v=1767743218","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/under-the-freedom-tree-isbn-9781580895514","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}