The Kingdom of the Happy Land was a community established by formerly enslaved people shortly after their freedom at the end of the Civil War. The community was founded in Henderson County in North Carolina and Laurens County in South Carolina, straddling the border between the two states. Although there are mixed accounts of where the inhabitants came from, with some claiming South Carolina and others Mississippi, Mother Rita is insistent in the novel that they came from South Carolina. Perkins-Valdez expresses her belief that “they originated from Cross Anchor, South Carolina, driven out of Spartanburg County under the threat of terrorist violence” (350), as is reflected in the novel, but she does not cite where she learned this information.

As a work of fiction, Perkins-Valdez admits to taking some “liberties” (350) in her depiction of the kingdom, which reflects the lack of historical records and mystery surrounding the kingdom. As is discussed in the novel, the primary source of information about the kingdom is a short book by Sadie Smathers Patton, a white historian, written in 1957. However, her information, too, was gleaned from stories and secondary sources, leaving much of the origins and facts about the kingdom unknown.

Most of what is known about the kingdom was taken from either Patton’s pamphlet or interviews with descendants of the kingdom. Historians agree that the kingdom was modeled after African kingdoms, with a king and queen. They also centered their governance around community, sharing things equally and surviving with the help of each other. They grew their own crops, built their own homes, and found ways to trade and profit off nearby towns—just as Luella does with her liniment. Overall, they sought to create a community that governed itself, separating themselves from the rampant racism and racist violence throughout the South at the time.

While much of the information about the kingdom was lost over time, Happy Land serves as a resource to bring attention to it. Although it is a work of fiction, Perkins-Valdez introduces the reader to the kingdom in the hopes that they will do further research in the Kingdom of the Happy Land and other intentional communities like it. As she explains, “The freedpeople who established the Kingdom of the Happy Land were not unlike millions of people who dreamed of land ownership, standing firm in their belief that property was the surest path to full citizenship and the benefits therein” (351). While some of her account may be fictional, her exploration of community, resilience, strength, and courage pays homage to the real people of the kingdom.