After the war, Newton and Rachel lived together as common-law husband and wife for decades, having several children together. This interracial union was the ultimate radical act in post-Reconstruction Mississippi, making the Knight family pariahs in the white community.
What are your thoughts? Did the film Free State of Jones do justice to Serena’s role? Let’s discuss in the comments. free state of jones wife
She endured what we would now call psychological warfare. Neighbors who sympathized with the Confederacy shunned her. Her children grew up hungry and afraid. Yet, there is no record of Serena ever turning Newton in. She wasn’t fighting for a flag or a political ideology. She was fighting for her family’s survival and her husband’s life. After the war, Newton and Rachel lived together
So where did this leave Serena?