The Journal of African American History has a new review of my book, The "Colored Hero" of Harpers Ferry: John Anthony Copeland and the War against Slavery. The review is very favorable, but my favorite passages are about the use of evidence:
Lubet’s reconsideration of the date of the Harper’s Ferry attack brings his methodology into the open. With careful reasoning, Lubet builds much of his argument on conjecture. For instance, with regard to Copeland’s role in escorting the fugitive slave Price to Canada, Lubet writes that “there is no documentation” that Copeland accompanied Price, “but the evidence is compelling” (101). Indeed, since there is little documentation for much of Copeland’s life, Lubet relies on speculation throughout the book, and, rather than hide the uncertainty in the notes, he is always candid about which gaps he has filled in. . . . Lubet’s analysis from circumstantial evidence is a tour de force.
As a lawyer, I was pleased to see a historian recognize that circumstantial evidence can be powerful and persuasive. Without it, there would be no way to tell the stories of people like John Anthony Copeland, who led mostly ordinary lives but became heroes in a noble cause.
The entire review is here.
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