We hope you enjoy this free episode as our holiday gift to you for listening to Addressing Gettysburg. This episode and many more like it are available on our Patreon feed. Patreon is one of the ways to support the show that enables us to produce more material for you. In appreciation of the support our patrons give us, we produce exclusive content for them. Please consider becoming a Patron during 2021 and expand your Gettysburg education.   Can you imagine what it's like to be "free" while not enjoying the same rights as the majority of the population or fearing that at any moment raiding parties from just over the border might capture you and sell you into slavery? How about having to choose between protecting your fellow man or obeying Federal law? What was in like to be black and free in Pennsylvania in the 19th century. These are just SOME of the things we cover in this episode with John Hoptak.   John Hoptak is a native of Pennsylvania. Hoptak serves as an interpretative Park Ranger with the National Park Service and teaches courses as an adjunct instructor at American Military University. Hoptak has written articles for America's Civil War, Civil War Times, and Pennsylvania Heritage. He is also the author of several books.