There are many fascinating stories of men, women, and children who lived at least part of their lives as slaves. In America, we tend to think of enslaved blacks before the Civil War. However, there have been slaves all over the world, many of whom influenced history. Reading slavery biography is a good way to learn world history, as well as appreciate the nature of people denied freedom.
When it comes to biographies, the internet is a great resource. There are sites devoted to the life stories of people, many of whom are known through their autobiographies or through stories about them recorded by newspapers or historians. Researching significant periods in history by interviewing those who lived through them has been popular with students and social scientists.
Many famous people from ancient times were in fact slaves. Aesop, whose fables have been part of western education for centuries, was a slave. Spartacus, a gladiator, was a slave who led an unsuccessful revolt against the Roman Empire. Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was enslaved as a boy. He escaped back to England but later returned to convert the Irish to Christianity (and to fight a dragon).
Moses, who led the descendants of Abraham out of Egyptian slavery and who wrote much of the bible, was born a slave. He was raised as a son in Pharaoh's household, but later escaped arrest for murder by fleeing to the wilderness, where he became a shepherd. When he returned, he freed his people under God's direction. Moses' biography is the Bible.
The internet is a great resource for brief accounts of famous slaves. If more in-depth study is desired, the sites can point you toward autobiographies, news reports, contemporary mentions, or entire biographies. Many slaves are known by their own writings or speeches, some by their actions during war time, and some by notorious trials.
Notorious trials have involved slaves. Margaret Garner and her husband and family tried to escape to the north, but they were tracked down. Before the arresting party could stop her, this woman killed her baby daughter and wounded her other children, trying to kill them, too, rather than have them returned to slavery. A youngster named Celia was tried for the murder of her master; the teenager was rebelling against repeated sexual abuse. Dred Scott sued for his and his family's freedom. All of these trials highlighted the horrors of the slave system.
There are books based on true events that tell of settlers along the frontier captured and enslaved by Indians. Ann Calhoun was a white girl captured by the Cherokee at age 4 who spent three years as a slave, being fairly kindly treated. Tales of dramatic escapes and harrowing rescues are part of American folklore and history.
Some of the most poignant accounts are told by the people themselves, like the 'Ain't I a woman?' speech given by Sojourner Truth, a former New York slave who became an ardent abolitionist. Frederick Douglas, an escaped slave from Maryland who became a writer, orator, and civil servant, was one of the most prominent voices for social reform - the end of slavery, women's rights, and fair treatment of Irish immigrants. The contribution to our culture made by slaves throughout the ages is remarkable.
When it comes to biographies, the internet is a great resource. There are sites devoted to the life stories of people, many of whom are known through their autobiographies or through stories about them recorded by newspapers or historians. Researching significant periods in history by interviewing those who lived through them has been popular with students and social scientists.
Many famous people from ancient times were in fact slaves. Aesop, whose fables have been part of western education for centuries, was a slave. Spartacus, a gladiator, was a slave who led an unsuccessful revolt against the Roman Empire. Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was enslaved as a boy. He escaped back to England but later returned to convert the Irish to Christianity (and to fight a dragon).
Moses, who led the descendants of Abraham out of Egyptian slavery and who wrote much of the bible, was born a slave. He was raised as a son in Pharaoh's household, but later escaped arrest for murder by fleeing to the wilderness, where he became a shepherd. When he returned, he freed his people under God's direction. Moses' biography is the Bible.
The internet is a great resource for brief accounts of famous slaves. If more in-depth study is desired, the sites can point you toward autobiographies, news reports, contemporary mentions, or entire biographies. Many slaves are known by their own writings or speeches, some by their actions during war time, and some by notorious trials.
Notorious trials have involved slaves. Margaret Garner and her husband and family tried to escape to the north, but they were tracked down. Before the arresting party could stop her, this woman killed her baby daughter and wounded her other children, trying to kill them, too, rather than have them returned to slavery. A youngster named Celia was tried for the murder of her master; the teenager was rebelling against repeated sexual abuse. Dred Scott sued for his and his family's freedom. All of these trials highlighted the horrors of the slave system.
There are books based on true events that tell of settlers along the frontier captured and enslaved by Indians. Ann Calhoun was a white girl captured by the Cherokee at age 4 who spent three years as a slave, being fairly kindly treated. Tales of dramatic escapes and harrowing rescues are part of American folklore and history.
Some of the most poignant accounts are told by the people themselves, like the 'Ain't I a woman?' speech given by Sojourner Truth, a former New York slave who became an ardent abolitionist. Frederick Douglas, an escaped slave from Maryland who became a writer, orator, and civil servant, was one of the most prominent voices for social reform - the end of slavery, women's rights, and fair treatment of Irish immigrants. The contribution to our culture made by slaves throughout the ages is remarkable.
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