Slavery in American Children's Literature, 1790-2010

Acknowledgments

ix Acknowledgments Thank you to the many people who have helped me in large and small ways as I worked on this project. To Schley Lyons, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I am grateful for a Faculty Research Grant and a reassignment of duties leave that allowed me time to work on the manuscript in its early stages. I am grateful, as well, to the many librarians and staff members who have helped me to locate necessary texts and illustrations for my research. Special thanks to those at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte—Robin Brabham, Marilyn Schuster, and the staff at the Rare Books Room; the Interlibrary Loan team at Atkins Library; and Monica Alston of the English Department—all have been unfailingly helpful. I am also grateful to Edward Copenhagen of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Tyler Gilmore of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Karen Hardie of High Point Public Library, Emilie Hardman of Harvard University ’s Houghton Library, Paul Hogroian of the Library of Congress, Karen May and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Aileen McNamara of the Free Library of Philadelphia , Megan Mulder of Wake Forest University, Jackie Penny of the American Antiquarian Society, Carolyn Shankle of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the staff at the Boston Public Library. Microfilm of Confederate texts made by the Boston Athenaeum has also been invaluable. I am fortunate to work in a field of generous scholars. Conferences of the Children’s Literature Association and Modern Critical Approaches to Children’s Literature have allowed me opportunities to work out my ideas in presentations and discussions with colleagues. I’m also grateful to colleagues who have offered suggestions on revisions and to friends (some also colleagues) whose sense of humor and generosity of spirit have immeasurably helped this project—and me. In this regard, many thanks are due to Frances Alexander, Cathy Anderson, Sue Diehl, Elizabeth Gargano, Terry Hoover,Tony Jackson, Jeffrey Leak, Jill May, James McGavran, Meg x Acknowledgments Morgan, Anita Moss, Jen Munroe, Daniel Shealy, Katharine Capshaw Smith, Maya Socolovsky, Roberta Seelinger Trites, Mark West, and Greg Wickliff. I am thankful for gracious and insightful editors at the University of Iowa Press, Elisabeth Chretien and Catherine Cocks. Thank you, as well, to the readers of the manuscript who provided important suggestions for its development. My family’s support and good humor are welcomed gifts. Thank you to my parents, Joe and Isabel Connolly, who are with me in spirit; to my sister Joyce, for her friendship, good sense, and coming to the rescue at the last minute; and to my husband, James—for everything. ...