African Americans arriving in the Red Wing area during Minnesota's territorial days came with goals identical to those held by immigrants of other races and cultures. They hoped to build successful lives in the vibrant Minnesota frontier village. Despite their similarities to Red Wing's other newcomers, blacks moving to the city carried a unique burden - a never-to-be-forgotten legacy of slavery that haunted their past and jeopardized their future. Just how black newcomers were assimilated into the Red Wing area's dominant white culture over the ensuing 150 years is an important Minnesota and American story that Frederick L. Johnson's narrative thoroughly documents. Woven into the book is a compelling account of the nation's long and often divisive history of racial strife. - Back cover.