Seeking Freedom

The Untold Story of Fortress Monroe and the Ending of Slavery in America

Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
In this dramatic Civil War story, a courageous enslaved fugitive teams with a cunning Union general to save a Union fort from the Confederates–and triggers the end of slavery in the United States. This is the first children's nonfiction book about a Black unsung hero who remains relevant today and to the Black Lives Matter movement. 

On the night Virginia secedes from the Union, three enslaved men approach Fortress Monroe. Knowing that Virginia's secession meant they would be separated from their families and sent farther south to work for the Confederacy, the men decided to plead for sanctuary. And they were in luck.
 
The fort's commander, Benjamin Butler, retained them--and many more that followed--by calling them "contraband of war." Butler depended on the contrabands to provide information about the Confederates. He found the perfect partner in George Scott, one of the contrabands, whose heroism saved the fort from enemy hands. And, it was the plight of the contrabands that convinced President Lincoln that slavery MUST be abolished and inspired him to write his Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in the rebellious states.
Selene Castrovilla fell in love with the humanity in America's history when she discovered the young Marquis de Lafayette’s passionate quest to help our nation. She is devoted to bringing hidden stories to life for young readers, revealing the real people behind our past. Visit selenecastrovilla.com. View titles by Selene Castrovilla
The recipient of a Caldecott Honor and an Orbis Pictus Award, along with many others, E. B. Lewis is the illustrator of more than seventy books for children. His Calkins Creek titles include Invincible by Wade Hudson, Seeking Freedom by Selene Castrovilla, and Lizzie Demands a Seat by Beth Anderson, which won Bank Street College of Education's Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for excellence in nonfiction, along with many other honors. He is also the illustrator of Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem, also by Gary Golio. Visit eblewis.com for more information. View titles by E. B. Lewis

About

In this dramatic Civil War story, a courageous enslaved fugitive teams with a cunning Union general to save a Union fort from the Confederates–and triggers the end of slavery in the United States. This is the first children's nonfiction book about a Black unsung hero who remains relevant today and to the Black Lives Matter movement. 

On the night Virginia secedes from the Union, three enslaved men approach Fortress Monroe. Knowing that Virginia's secession meant they would be separated from their families and sent farther south to work for the Confederacy, the men decided to plead for sanctuary. And they were in luck.
 
The fort's commander, Benjamin Butler, retained them--and many more that followed--by calling them "contraband of war." Butler depended on the contrabands to provide information about the Confederates. He found the perfect partner in George Scott, one of the contrabands, whose heroism saved the fort from enemy hands. And, it was the plight of the contrabands that convinced President Lincoln that slavery MUST be abolished and inspired him to write his Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in the rebellious states.

Author

Selene Castrovilla fell in love with the humanity in America's history when she discovered the young Marquis de Lafayette’s passionate quest to help our nation. She is devoted to bringing hidden stories to life for young readers, revealing the real people behind our past. Visit selenecastrovilla.com. View titles by Selene Castrovilla
The recipient of a Caldecott Honor and an Orbis Pictus Award, along with many others, E. B. Lewis is the illustrator of more than seventy books for children. His Calkins Creek titles include Invincible by Wade Hudson, Seeking Freedom by Selene Castrovilla, and Lizzie Demands a Seat by Beth Anderson, which won Bank Street College of Education's Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for excellence in nonfiction, along with many other honors. He is also the illustrator of Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem, also by Gary Golio. Visit eblewis.com for more information. View titles by E. B. Lewis

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