Gregory May is the author of Jefferson’s Treasure: How Albert Gallatin Saved the New Nation from Debt. He practiced law in Washington, DC, and New York for thirty years, and now lives in Virginia.
"In 1833, the Virginia congressman John Randolph freed his nearly
four hundred slaves while on his deathbed. This detailed history
untangles the much publicised legal dispute that ensued... May
cautions against ascribing honourable motives to Randolph, and
stresses that those he freed continued to face prejudice and
violence in the North. "
*The New Yorker*
"Eye-opening and vigorously researched . . . May cogently reveals
how white supremacy was not restricted to the South but permeated
the nation, depicting a culture of fear and resentment around free
Black settlement . . . Ultimately, May shows how such deprivations
have lasting, generational consequences, illuminating inequities
that persist to this day."
*Ilyon Woo - The New York Times Book Review*
"[E]nlightening, suspenseful... Mr. May, a lawyer turned historian,
dexterously describes the court hearings, appeals and suits over
Randolph’s will... a compelling case history of the complexities of
enslavement and emancipation in the young American nation."
*David S. Reynolds - The Wall Street Journal*
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