Fort Mose: And the Story of the Man Who Built the First Free Black Settlement in Colonial America

by Glennette Tilley Turner

Overview

Glennette Tilley Turner presents thestory of Fort Mose in the only picture book for children about the first free Black community in America.
 
In 1724, Francisco Menendez escaped from a plantation in the colony of South Carolina and, with a small group of men, headed south to Florida, at the time a Spanish colony, to the town of St. Augustine. There he was granted his freedom. He soon became a member of the Black militia and helped defend the area from English invaders. In 1738, Menendez helped found the first legally sanctioned free Black community in America. It was called Fort Mose, and it lay just north of St. Augustine.
 
There were 38 households of men, women, and children living together at Fort Mose, creating a frontier community that drew on a range of African backgrounds and blended them with the local Spanish, Native American, and English peoples and cultures. Fort Mose became a southern destination for travelers of the Underground Railroad many years before the birth of its legendary “conductor,” Harriet Tubman.
 
“Turner’s graceful account clearly distinguishes between fact and supposition. . . . A significant addition to African American history collections for young people.” —Booklist (Starred Review)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798887070261
Publisher:	Abrams
Publication date:	07/19/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	848,847
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Glennette Tilley Turner has written many children’s books, including Fort Mose, An Apple for Harriet Tubman, and Running for Our Lives. She has also written collections of biographies of notable African Americans for adults, and she serves as an advisor to the National Park Service, where she helps plan programs for the national historic Underground Railroad trail. Turner has a master’s degree in history and children’s literature; has spoken at ALA, NCTE, BCALA, and the Library of Congress; has presented at Illinois library, historical, and reading organizations; and taught in the Chicago Public School system for many years. She has received numerous awards and accolades for her writing and was inducted into International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent at the Gwendolyn Brooks Center of Chicago State University. She lives in Wheaton, Illinois.
 

Editorial Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Turner’s graceful account clearly distinguishes between fact and supposition. The paragraphs discussing the transport of slaves and their treatment at the “pest” house on Sullivan’s Island are particularly vivid and informative. Brightening every page of this large, handsome book are deep-green borders of tropical leaves. A significant addition to African American history collections for young people."

starred review Booklist