"A Slave in Nebraska" and Other Black Habeas Activism on the Gilded Age Plains.

Drawing on court records, newspaper accounts, and a remarkable journal, this article presents a microhistory of Till, a Black teenager in rural Nebraska who became the subject of a well-publicized 1890 habeas corpus petition alleging his enslavement in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment. It conte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Western Historical Quarterly Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 117 - 132
Main Author: Young, Cory James
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Summer2025
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Drawing on court records, newspaper accounts, and a remarkable journal, this article presents a microhistory of Till, a Black teenager in rural Nebraska who became the subject of a well-publicized 1890 habeas corpus petition alleging his enslavement in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment. It contends that this proceeding should be understood as a freedom suit and that Till's subsequent life should be understood as part of its legal history.