Josiah Henson
Author
Language
English
Description
“Truth Stranger Than Fiction: Father Henson's Story of His Own Life” stands as a remarkable narrative on its own merits, but even more significant is its relationship to Harriet Beecher Stowe's “Uncle Tom's Cabin”. It is strange that the inspiration for a character whose name is a contemporary curse is based on an escaped slave, one-time soldier, preacher, founder of an independent black settlement, and slave, narrative writer. Unlike Stowe's...
Author
Language
English
Description
This 1876 version of Josiah Henson's autobiography, the first of many editions issued by British editor John Lobb, followed the original 1849 edition and a much-expanded 1858 version. The autobiography traces Henson's life from his birth into slavery in Maryland in 1789; his escape to Canada in 1830; his participation in the founding of the Dawn Settlement for fugitive slaves in Ontario; and his several trips to England to raise funds for the settlement....
Author
Language
English
Description
Firsthand account by the man widely regarded as the person who provided much of the material for the revered character in Uncle Tom's Cabin. Henson recalls his childhood, forced separation from his wife and children, escape to Canada, role as "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, and meeting with Queen Victoria in England.
Author
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
Josiah Henson (1789 — 1883) was an author, abolitionist and minister. He was born into slavery in Maryland, and escaped to Canada in 1830, where he founded a settlement for fugitive slaves in Ontario. Henson's autobiography, 'The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself' (1849), is thought to have inspired the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. The autobiography...
Author
Publisher
Dover Publications
Pub. Date
[2015]
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
Born into slavery on a Maryland farm, Josiah Henson (1789–1883) worked as a foreman, married, and became a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Faced with the prospect of separation from his family, Henson fled with his wife and children to Ontario, where he became a leader in the Afro-Canadian community. The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself first appeared in 1849. The book's avid...
Author
Language
English
Description
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to the mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada.The network was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees.The enslaved persons who risked escape and those who aided them are also collectively referred to as the "Underground...