The promise of freedom enlivened the 1820s. Blacks thrust themselves into freedom resourcefully. The well educated became ministers, publishers, and teachers. The enterprising sold goods in storefronts, markets, and street corners. The flamboyant paraded boldly on stage, in carriages, and on the avenues. The modest labored all day to stay afloat. What tied them together was a faith in freedom's promise and a sense of responsibility for one another. They were truly writing, as they said, "freedom's journal." In this feature, click on the book to meet some of freedom's people.