Paul J. Polgar is the author of Standard-Bearers of Equality: America’s First Abolition Movement, published by University of North Carolina Press in 2019. Standard-Bearers of Equality tells the story of a racially inclusive abolition movement which followed in the wake of the American Revolution. Seeking to uphold Revolutionary-era ideals, these “first movement abolitionists,” as Polgar refers to them, sought to end slavery and prove Black Americans deserved an equal place in the country. Polgar’s work reinterprets this time in American history, illustrating how some people worked tirelessly to create an equalitarian country.
Dr. Polgar is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Mississippi.
Derek Litvak is a Ph.D. student in the department of history at the University of Maryland.
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