Despite its apparent isolation as an older region of the country, the Southeastern area provided a vital link between the self-emancipation of Blacks that occurred during the American Revolution and the development of the Underground Railroad during the latter years of the antebellum period. From the outset of the revolutionary war to the eve of the First Seminole War in 1817, hundreds and ultimately several thousand Africans and African Americans in Georgia, and to a lesser extent in South Carolina, crossed the borders separating the low country from the British and Spanish in coastal Florida and from the Seminoles and Creeks in the extensive interiors of the Southeastern area. Even in times of peace, there was a steady flow of individuals moving south and southwest, reflecting the aspirations of an enslaved people. A Southern Underground Railroad constitutes a powerful counter-narrative to the story of American history, a story of how enslaved men and women found freedom and human dignity not in Jefferson's 'Empire of Liberty' but outside the expanding borders of the United States. It is a strong reminder of the power of Black resistance in the post-revolutionary South and the ability of this community to influence the balance of power in a contested region. Paul M. Pressly's research shows that their movement across borders was an integral part of the ongoing struggle for sovereignty in the Southeastern area, not only among the Great Powers but also among the many different racial, ethnic, and religious groups inhabiting the area and claiming control.