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“A Slave in Nebraska” and Other Black Habeas Activism on the Gilded Age Plains
Journal article

“A Slave in Nebraska” and Other Black Habeas Activism on the Gilded Age Plains

Cory James Young
The Western historical quarterly, Vol.56(2), pp.117-131
05/20/2025
DOI: 10.1093/whq/whaf001

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Abstract

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.

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