“No American can be pleased with the treatment of Negro Americans, North and South, in the years before the Civil War. In his clear, lucid account of the Northern phase of the story Professor Litwack has performed a notable service.”

John Hope Franklin | Journal of Negro Education

"For a searching examination of the North Star Legend we are indebted to Leon F. Litwack."

C. Vann Woodward | American Scholar

"This book promptly ranks with the major works in the history of American Negroes. . . . It is a triumph of careful scholarship and
straightforward historical writing.”

Richard Bardolph | American Historical Review

"Fills an important gap not only in the history of the Negro but in the history of the United States . . . an excellent example of living history.”

E. Franklin Frazier | Journal of Southern History