Remaking the Republic

"Remaking the Republic" explores how African Americans in the nineteenth century actively shaped the meaning of American citizenship by asserting their rights and participating in debates about belonging, using newspapers, conventions, protests, and legal battles. The book highlights their efforts across the North to redefine what it meant to be a citizen and to challenge the ambiguities in the U.S. Constitution. Through these collective actions, African Americans played a crucial role in transforming notions of freedom and inclusion during a tumultuous era.