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Newton Knight Research Paper

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The birds sing their hidden language in the distance, suddenly silenced by the man in the shadows…This man greets the swamps of the Mississippi, engulfed in the quiet, in the one place not touched by outside influences. One day, the birds change their tone, for many others have decided to follow him. These people have harsh lines framing their face, callouses on hands that mark years of work. This ramshackle group comes together as one, forging into their own people, for their freedoms were worth life, and even death. In spite of the tensions and the Civil War raging on, Newton Knight took a stand by abandoning the Confederates and overthrowing the authorities to create his own Free State of Jones. Deserting the commonalities of the southern man, Newt assembled the Knight Company and led a rebellion, leading to a mixed community today in Jones County, where descendants remember the legend of the man who …show more content…

A slave of his grandfather, her guile called to him, as he recognized a kindred soul. Surrounded in controversy, Newton Knight, after the Civil War came to a halt, settled down with Rachel, on a farm stretching on for 160 acres… With his other wife, Serena. The former slave and Newton ended up having five children, and Knight had nine total with Serena. Then they all live happily ever, right? Well, not exactly. See, having “mixed race” children led to some repercussions. One lost fact of history claims that the “Knight Negroes” were considered outsiders, never truly accepted in the community. As a result, this led to them marrying within their own families, as stated. “Newt’s son Mat, for instance, married one of Rachel’s daughters by another man, and Newt’s daughter Molly married one of Rachel’s sons by another man.” By this way of life, the Knight family tree continued to grow more branches, and triggered an interracial

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