Image from the Emancipation Proclamation America's reconstruction: Peoples and Politics After the Civil War
Emancipation Black Soldiers Rehearsal for Reconstruction A New Birth of Freedom: Reconstruction During the Civil War

Contrabands at Follies Farm, 1862


Contrabands at Follies Farm, 1862.
(Library of Congress)

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In 1862, Union General Benjamin F. Butler designated three escaped slaves as "contrabands of war," or property of military value subject to confiscation.

Northern newspapers picked up the term and thereafter slaves who came into Union lines were known as contrabands.

African Americans seeking freedom behind enemy lines included families with young children. Note the women with traditional African-style headwraps.

Copyright 2003
A New Birth of Freedom: Reconstruction During the Civil War The Meaning of Freedom: Black and White Responses to Slavery From Free Labor to Slave Labor Rights and Power: The Politics of Reconstruction Introduction The Ending of Reconstruction Epilogue: The Unfinished Revolution Additional Resources Credits for this Exhibit Digital History Home