Episode 79 -- Dr. Isabela Morales On The 2024 AHA Sulzby Award

Alabama History Podcasts

Dr. Isabela Morales, author of the multi-award winning book Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery and Freedom (Oxford, 2022), discusses the Townsend family of Madison County, Alabama, particularly the 45 manumitted children and nieces of Samuel Townsend who will them their freedom and his fortune. Morales speaks about the Townsends’ diaspora and how “race, place, and money” affected their experience of freedom between the Civil War and the Jim Crow Era. Links mentioned in the episode: Dr. R. Isabela Morales: http://www.risabelamorales.com/ Alabama Historical Association: https://www.alabamahistory.net/ James F. Sulzby Award: https://www.alabamahistory.net/james-f-sulzby-book-award Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery and Freedom: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/happy-dreams-of-liberty-9780197531792?cc=ca&lang=en& Hoole Special Collections Library, Univ. of Alabama: https://www.lib.ua.edu/libraries/hoole/ Septimus D. Cabaniss Papers, Estate of Samuel Townsend (Hoole Lib): https://archives.lib.ua.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/73817 Wilberforce University: https://wilberforce.edu/ Leavenworth, KS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leavenworth,_Kansas Jim Crow in Alabama: https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/segregation-jim-crow/ Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum: https://www.ssaamuseum.org/ Elizabeth Dale, the “Black Widow of Hazel Green”: https://huntsvillehistorycollection.org/hhc/browse-person.php?a=person&pe=Elizabeth%20Evans%20Hall%20Dale Rather read? Here's a link to the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5afmd542 *Just a heads up – the provided transcript is likely to be less than 100% accurate. The Alabama History Podcast's producer is Marty Olliff and its associate producer is Laura Murray. Founded in 1947, the Alabama Historical Association is the oldest statewide historical society in Alabama. The AHA provides opportunities for meaningful engagement with the past through publications, meetings, historical markers, and other programs. See the website www.alabamahistory.net.