Shattering Paradigms Archives - JB Phillips

About Shattering Paradigms

JB Phillips — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:30:58 +0000

In antebellum Texas, Samuel Dawson does the unthinkable. He rejects the idea that Black people are subhuman and do not possess the same rights as whites. His defiance is met with hostility from his father and neighboring plantation owners. But Samuel does not succumb to the pressures exerted by others. He remains true to what he knows is right and just, and he continues to challenge the dominant paradigms of the time.

While many of his neighbors struggle to deal with the freedmen, Samuel’s former plantation becomes a mecca for Blacks and whites seeking a better life. He offers opportunities not widely available, and the result is a thriving community in which Blacks and whites live and work together peacefully.

As stories of Samuel’s success spread, some nearby landowners seek his advice. They want a flourishing community too, but they do not know how to achieve it. They recognize that the old paradigm will no longer work, yet they do not have a viable alternative. Through word and deed, Samuel guides them.

Others refuse to accept the emancipation of slaves. They seek to reestablish white supremacy, and they will use any means necessary to achieve their ends. They threaten both the growing prosperity of Blacks and the freedom of everyone.

The abolition of slavery created fresh problems and turmoil in the former Confederate states. Neither the former slaves nor the former slaveholders were prepared for the aftermath of the Civil War. Shattering Paradigms is the story of what could have been and should have been.

All Men are Created Equal (Book 1)

Thirteen-year-old Samuel Dawson abhors slavery. When he is put in temporary control of his father’s plantation, Samuel begins an audacious experiment to treat the slaves like human beings. Click here to read Chapter 1 for FREE.

Dawson Town (Book 2)

Following the end of slavery, Samuel Dawson and his former slaves build a thriving community. But many of his fellow Texans are reticent to recognize the natural rights of Blacks, and they threaten to destroy Dawson Town. Click here to read Chapter 1 for FREE.

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Dawson Town

JB Phillips — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 21:53:10 +0000

Following the emancipation of slaves in Texas, twenty-year-old plantation owner Samuel Dawson faces new challenges. The state government is reticent to recognize social and political equality between Blacks and whites. Many Texans are determined to return the state to white dominance, threatening the thriving community that Samuel has built.

Both whites and freedmen seek refuge in Dawson Town, eager to take advantage of the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families. Former slaves start successful businesses to meet the needs of the growing population.

President Johnson and Democrats advocate treating the rebellious Confederate states leniently. Radical Republicans demand that those states only be re-admitted to the Union if they recognize the natural rights of Blacks. To bolster support for the Republicans, Samuel and his best friend, Will, embark on a whistle-stop tour of New England and the Midwest with the renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglas.

As the fight for racial equality intensifies, Samuel is elected as a delegate to a constitutional convention, where he faces fierce opposition in his efforts to extend suffrage to Blacks. Undeterred, he challenges his fellow delegates to visit Dawson Town and witness the progress and potential that can be achieved when the rights of all individuals are recognized and protected.

Dawson Town is an inspiring tale of courage, determination, and the fight for justice in a time of great turmoil. For fans of historical fiction and stories of triumph over adversity, this book is a must-read. This is a story of what could have been and should have been.

Dawson Town is available on Amazon.

Click here to read Chapter 1 for FREE.

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All Men are Created Equal

JB Phillips — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 21:21:35 +0000

Challenging cultural paradigms is seldom a simple task, and it is particularly difficult for a twelve-year-old. Yet, in 1857, Samuel Dawson, the son of a slaveholder in Texas, does just that. He begins by befriending Will, an enslaved boy his father had recently purchased. Samuel’s father objects to the friendship but can offer no rational reasons to end the friendship.

Defying his father is only the beginning. Samuel soon defies the conventional wisdom that Black people are subhuman. He defies laws that forbid teaching slaves to read and write. Samuel refuses to accept ideas he found irrational. He trusts his own judgment, and he acts accordingly, no matter who or how many disagreed.

When the Civil War begins, Samuel hopes for a Union victory and the abolition of slavery. A Confederate victory, he realizes, would mean the continuance of that vile institution. With the outcome of the war beyond his control, Samuel focuses on what he could control—life on the plantation that he inherited at sixteen. By the end of the war, Samuel has built a thriving community on his plantation, and everyone’s life has improved.

All Men are Created Equal is an inspiring story of courage and independence if the face of monumental challenges. Samuel Dawson shows what could have been and should have been.

All Men are Created Equal is available on Amazon.

Click here to read Chapter 1 for FREE.

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