This work presents a documentary and interpretive history of enslavement in Prince George's County, Maryland, with a central focus on Belair Plantation and its surrounding communities. Drawing on archival records, archaeological findings, and genealogical research, the book reconstructs the fragmented lives of enslaved individuals whose histories survive primarily in inventories, wills, census records, and newspaper advertisements.
The volume combines primary documentation with narrative analysis to recover personal stories and illuminate broader systems of power, labor, and resistance. Chapters trace the transformation of individuals such as Ann Joice from indentured servant to enslaved person, examine the role of towns and plantations in shaping enslaved life, and analyze fugitive slave advertisements as records of resistance and self-definition.