A Madman's Will - John Randolph, Four Hundred Slaves, and the Mirage of Freedom

Few legal cases in American history are as riveting as the controversy surrounding the will of Virginia Senator John Randolph (1773-1833), which-almost inexplicably-freed all 383 of his slaves in one of the largest and most publicised manumissions in American history. So famous is the case that Ta-Nehisi Coates has used it to condemn Randolph's cousin, Thomas Jefferson, for failing to free his own slaves. With this ground-breaking investigation, historian Gregory May now reveals a more surprising story, showing how madness and scandal shaped John Randolph's wildly shifting attitudes toward his slaves-and how endemic prejudice in the North ultimately deprived the freedmen of the land Randolph had promised them. Sweeping from the legal spectacle of the contested will through the freedmen's dramatic flight and horrific reception in Ohio, A Madman's Will is an extraordinary saga about the alluring promise of freedom and its tragic limitations.

About the author

Gregory May is the author of Jefferson’s Treasure: How Albert Gallatin Saved the New Nation from Debt. He practiced law in Washington, DC, and New York for thirty years, and now lives in Virginia.

Product details

• Authors: Gregory May
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.12.2024
• EAN: 9781324095620
• ISBN: 978-1-324-09562-0
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 211 mm x 25 mm
• Weight: 339 g
• Illustrations: 20 illustrations
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Political, Biography: historical, political & military, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, Political leaders & leadership, Local History, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas, Biography: historical, political and military, Political leaders and leadership, Central Southern States, US South