LEARNING TOGETHER: The Story of America
DID YOU KNOW…that in 1849 a slave by the name of Henry “Box” Brown stuffed himself into a wooden box labeled “dry goods” and was shipped from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Henry Brown’s hellish ordeal sealed inside a box lasted for 27 hours, for 90 minutes of his journey he was upside down. So strong was the longing for freedom that enslaved folks would do just about anything to escape the horrors created by the institution of slavery.
Many slaves fought for their freedom via the American court system, a few actually won their cases, like Sojourner Truth. She won the emancipation of her son from a slave owner. Unfortunately for most freedom seekers the law overwhelmingly supported the slave owner.
To add salt to an open wound, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was a way to not only punish the runaway slave but also anyone who helped in their escape from bondage with heavy fines and even jail time (This law is begin used today.). During the Civil War, some slaves offered their skills to the Union Army as a way to gain their freedom.
The average runaway slave was in his mid-to-late twenties. Over eighty percent of fugitive slaves were males but there were females who fled with their children. One of the most famous female runaway slaves was Harriet Tubman. Slave owners placed fugitive slave ads in newspapers which described the escaped slave’s features, clothing, and skills. A reward was offered for the return of their human property.
The journey to freedom was filled with danger. Chased by bloodhounds and slave hunters, runaway slaves traveled long distances on foot usually at night. They headed to Northern states, free states, Canada, Mexico, etc. Some hid among the Natives. Most runaway slaves had little to no money or education. Without the help of people along the way, such as the Underground Railroad, many wouldn’t have survived or would have been easily captured and returned to hell. If captured and returned to their slave owners, slaves faced beatings, whippings, branding, and amputations.
It is believed that over 100,000 (this number is probably a lot higher) enslaved people made the perilous journey to freedom. Sadly, liberation for many runaway slaves was bittersweet for some conditions that they faced weren’t that much better than the nightmare that they experienced on the farms and plantations.
Finally, in January 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery in America, except as a punishment for crimes committed. However, June 19, 1865, (Juneteenth) is celebrated as the official day for the end of slavery in America. But there are many experts who believe that slavery continued up until December 1865.
The enslavement of humans is an ungodly act that no one would choose or enjoy. The happy slave myth was created by those who either wrote history or needed to believe the lie in order to justify personally (or their family members) partaking in such a horrific act.
NOTEWORTHY FACTS:
- Slave rebellions started immediately, from the initial capture in Africa to transportation on the seas to enslavement on farms and plantations. Slaves fought for their freedom in many different ways.
- Any slave traveling without their slave-owner had to show a slave pass, which was a handwritten note that usually included the name, description of the slave, date, and destination, and signed by the slaveholder. Even former slaves had to show proof that they were free to travel. Some ex-slaves or those born free asked the courts to grant them Freedom Papers or Certificate of Freedom as proof that they were truly free people of African ancestry. Even with the proper papers, free Black Americans still faced the dangers of being kidnapped and enslaved. Check out the novel or the movie, Twelve Years A Slave, the true story of Solomon Northup, a free Black man who was captured and sold into slavery.
- Thousands of runaway slaves sought freedom among the maroon communities living (or hiding out) in the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina. The nature of the terrain made it difficult for slave patrols to recapture freedom seekers. Maroon communities or colonies were primarily made up of escaped slaves and indigenous people. They settled in remote areas that were difficult to reach such as swamps or hid high in the mountains, etc.
- The Fugitive Slave Act, endorsed by President George Washington in 1793, made it legal for freedom seekers to be captured and returned to their slave owner. It also made it a federal violation to help fugitive slaves.
- The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 forced the average Northern citizens to help apprehend runaway slaves. Some Northerners countered this law with “personal liberty laws” which stated that assisting in the capture of runaway slaves went against their beliefs. However, the United States government fought and won stating that federal issues are more important than state or personal affairs.
- Some Famous American Freedom Seekers:
- Ona (Oney) Judge was one of George and Martha Washington’s slaves. Oney ran away when she found out that she was to be given away as a wedding gift.
- Frederick Douglass became a fugitive slave when he was in his 20s. With his borrowed freedom papers in hand, he disguised himself as a sailor and escaped to freedom.
- Robert Smalls escaped to freedom while working on a Confederate steamer. While the crew was away, Smalls dressed as the ship’s captain and along with other slaves seized the ship, gathered their families, and set sail. The runaway slave crew surrendered the ship to the U. S. Navy. When the Civil War ended, Smalls purchased his ex-slaveholder’s house. Later Smalls served in the House of Representatives.
- Harriot Jacobs escaped the brutality of slavery in 1835. For seven years, she lived in a small, coffin sized space with little air or light in her grandmother’s attic only leaving at night to eat, stretch and exercise. In 1842, she escaped to New York. Her story can be read in the novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
- In 1849, Harriot Tubman ran away from the plantation. She returned several times to help others escape. Tubman also became a conductor for the Underground Railroad.
OUR HISTORY MATTERS
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