Free Frank: A Black Pioneer on the Antebellum Frontier (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A splendid historical biography.... This narrative of a slave who overcame racial barriers, previous condition of servitude, and the rude shocks of frontier settlement makes captivating reading.-- American Historical Review" -- American Historical Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813108403
• ISBN-13: 978-0813108407
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #497,869 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #88 in

  Books > History > United States > State & Local > Kentucky

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars inspirational, amazing, and entertaining, September 14, 1999

By A Customer

Walker wrote this biography of an ancestor who is a remarkable figure in American history. Born a slave, Free Frank used his free time on evenings and Sundays to extract saltpeter from guano in Kentucky, as well as surveying land, and made enough money to first buy his wife out of slavery, then, with her income as a freewoman, to buy himself out of slavery. His industry, sterling character, and persistence eventually allowed him to become wealthy as a real estate developer on the Illinois frontier. He bought all of his children out of slavery, and upon his death, all of his grandchildren as well. And he did it all without ever learning to write.

While certainly atypical, he is a reminder that even though the legal system was set up to the detriment of blacks throughout the slave states, it was possible for a slave with a careless or sympathetic master to become free -- and once free, to become wealthy. This is an inspiring story. Just don't read this one book and assume that you know everything you need to know about American slavery. This is the encouraging reminder that even a bigoted legal system wasn't enough to keep a hard worker from moving ahead in the relatively free market of the American frontier.

5.0 out of 5 stars Free Frank: A Black Pioneer on the Antebellum Frontier, February 27, 2009

By	Shirlene C. Mitchell "smitch" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the most fascinating book I have ever read regarding what a person can do when he puts himself into it. Amazing sacrifice, determination and hard work, that was Frank McWhorter. A must read if you want to see a view of the mid 19th century by reading the life of a man who came out of slavery and lived in extreme hardship with integrity seldom seen these days.

5.0 out of 5 stars History you never knew, January 27, 2008

By	Wayne F. Varner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is about a great man overcoming the odds. This book explains a lot about our early settlers and how slavery played an imprtant part of that development. The author did great research to give a true account of the life and times of "Free Frank". This should be read by all who want to hear the true story.