Analysis Of The Free State Of Jones By Victoria Bynum

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In the book “The Free State of Jones”, by Victoria Bynum, the war between the Union and the Confederacy was described. Not only that, but the author reveals many things about the war that is not widely known, or largely mistaken for something else. The style this book is written is not fiction, as it has raw facts splattered across the pages. One of the main topics that is covered in this book is slavery, and how the South contributed to it. Tying to that, the main character’s relationship with an African American woman is also mentioned. The main character, Newton, plays a massive role in this book, as he is the captain of a group of Confederate deserters called the “Knight Company”, which is also described in detail. Not only this, but the author includes information about the Jones County legacy, information that has been confused and warped over time but is now being backed up by facts in this book. These main elements, as well as many others, describe the times and hardships of the people and situations in the Civil War well. …show more content…

Race at that time, as it had been for a long time, determined many things about a person. Their rights, what they could or could not do, their social status, etc. People in the South still held onto those beliefs, and although it was legal for African Americans to be free, they were looked down upon, largely by the white Southerners. The white women were protected from the blacks, as they were viewed as brutal and dangerous, simply because people did not like them. It was not even considered that it could have been the white men, not the black men, that were vile and dangerous. Although that stood, interracial relationships (such as Newton, or Newt, and Rachel’s relationship) were extremely looked down upon, no matter if it was a white man or a black man. Racist mindsets like this caused the war between the South and the