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The Life of Josiah Henson: An Inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom (Dover Thrift Editions) by Josiah Henson
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
May 21, 2019
The Life of Josiah Henson is not only an interesting slave narrative and the memoir of an important leader of Canada’s black community, but is also an important source of a classic of American popular literature. Josiah Henson’s Life is widely recognized as the inspiration for what of the American novel’s most noble and unfairly maligned characters: “Uncle Tom,” the morally principled Christian slave of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Henson’s brief as-told-to memoir presents a rich portrait of the life of an honorable and determined man, but—at least for me—three things about Henson’s life stand out. The first is that, as the trusted supervisor of his master’s estate, he agreed to lead a score of slaves from Maryland to Kentucky, and, although he could have easily lead them all—including himself—out of slavery, he led them to Kentucky instead because he refused to break his word. The second thing is that Henson only decided to run away after his master cheated him out of the money he had saved up to buy his freedom, thus absolving him of his obligation of faithful service. Third, after he escaped to Canada, he became a minister and leader of the Dawn Community, a self-sufficient group of half a hundred former slaves who bought and worked their own land.
The style in which the memoir is written—as you may see from the passage below—is a little too formal to capture completely the voice of the former slave. But, as it seems to adequately reflect Josiah’s beliefs and sentiments, it nevertheless gives us a memorable portrait of the man.
Below is the account of how Josiah justifies leading his fellow-slaves from a free state back into the land of slavery:
In passing along the State of Ohio, we were frequently told that we were free, if we chose to be so. At Cincinnati, especially, the colored people gathered round us, and urged us with much importunity to remain with them . . . From my earliest recollection, freedom had been the object of my ambition . . . No other means of obtaining it, however, had occurred to me, but purchasing myself of my master. The idea of running away was not one that I had ever indulged. I had a sentiment of honor on the subject, or what I thought such, which I would not have violated even for freedom; and every cent which I had ever felt entitled to call my own, had been treasured up for this great purpose, till I had accumulated between thirty and forty dollars. Now was offered to me an opportunity I had not anticipated. I might liberate my family, my companions, and myself, without the smallest risk, and without injustice to any individual, except one whom we had none of us any reason to love, who had been guilty of cruelty and oppression to us all for many years, and who had never shown the smallest symptom of sympathy with us, or with any one in our condition. . . But it was a punishment which it was not for me to inflict. I had promised that man to take his property to Kentucky, and deposit it with his brother; and this, and this only, I resolved to do. . . . What advantages I may have lost, by thus throwing away an opportunity of obtaining freedom, I know not; but the perception of my own strength of character, the feeling of integrity, the sentiment of high honor, I have experienced.—these advantages I do know, and prize; and would not lose them, nor the recollection of having attained them, for all that I can imagine to have resulted from an earlier release from bondage. I have often had painful doubts as to the propriety of my carrying so many other individuals into slavery again, and my consoling reflection has been, that I acted as I thought at the time was best.
July 10, 2017
The guy who would inspire Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom opens his own story with a memory of his father's ear being cut off. Immediately, then, we're shown a world Stowe shied away from. There's no violence on that level in her book.
It ends with another story she chose not to tell. Josiah Henson escaped to Canada, where he was a key player in the Dawn Settlement, a town made up entirely of former slaves and planned largely by Henson, who was also instrumental in starting a trade school there. The settlement was a success, in no small part thanks to his leadership. He was a major figure in the abolition movement, and his identity as "the real Uncle Tom" (a label under which he toured lucratively) is one of the least important things about him. (Only the beginning of the story is covered in this narrative; the rest I know from the terrific nonfiction book Bound For Canaan.)
In between, there's a disturbing episode: Henson, trusted by his owner, is delegated to transport 21 slaves from Maryland to Kentucky. Along the way they float right past Ohio, where free people on the shores mention that all they have to do is land there and they'll be free; Henson refuses, consigning all of them to further slavery. This seems unforgiveably Uncle Tom-ish today, but it's also an interesting look into the psyche of some (though not all) slaves.
As literature, Henson's narrative is pedestrian. Dictated to someone of indifferent skill, it presents the facts in a stilted style. This is no Frederick Douglass. But it's interesting, and it'll only take you like an hour anyway.
I created an e-reader version of it myself, because I couldn't find a decent one online. I put it on Google Drive; here it is. You can freely use and distribute it as far as I'm concerned. It's in the public domain.
It ends with another story she chose not to tell. Josiah Henson escaped to Canada, where he was a key player in the Dawn Settlement, a town made up entirely of former slaves and planned largely by Henson, who was also instrumental in starting a trade school there. The settlement was a success, in no small part thanks to his leadership. He was a major figure in the abolition movement, and his identity as "the real Uncle Tom" (a label under which he toured lucratively) is one of the least important things about him. (Only the beginning of the story is covered in this narrative; the rest I know from the terrific nonfiction book Bound For Canaan.)
In between, there's a disturbing episode: Henson, trusted by his owner, is delegated to transport 21 slaves from Maryland to Kentucky. Along the way they float right past Ohio, where free people on the shores mention that all they have to do is land there and they'll be free; Henson refuses, consigning all of them to further slavery. This seems unforgiveably Uncle Tom-ish today, but it's also an interesting look into the psyche of some (though not all) slaves.
As literature, Henson's narrative is pedestrian. Dictated to someone of indifferent skill, it presents the facts in a stilted style. This is no Frederick Douglass. But it's interesting, and it'll only take you like an hour anyway.
I created an e-reader version of it myself, because I couldn't find a decent one online. I put it on Google Drive; here it is. You can freely use and distribute it as far as I'm concerned. It's in the public domain.
April 26, 2023
I came across this book in the most unusual way. I was watching a documentary when I realised for the first time that in the US, calling a black man “Uncle Tom” is considered offensive, because it is a synonym of being servile to white people. I was puzzled because I failed to see the connection. I’ve read a YA version of Uncle Tom’s Cabin when I was a child, but I didn’t remember Uncle Tom as a particularly servile character, on the contrary. But I no longer own that book, so I went to Wikipedia to refresh my memory.
I found many interesting things, including that most Americans had contact with this story, not through the book, even though it was an enormous success, but through multiple theatre shows that profited from the popularity of the book. I also learned that at that time, US copyright law did not give novel authors any control over stage adaptations. And although not every theatre depiction of Uncle Tom was negative, the dominant version developed into a character very different from the hero of the novel. The original young, strong, Jesus-like figure was made into a passive middle-aged man. Some say this was done in order to redefine Uncle Tom until he fitted within prevailing racist norms and it may well be true, as Wikipedia also states that Stowe assumed no small risk in taking such public stand against slavery before abolitionism had become a socially acceptable cause. Frederick Douglass himself praised the novel as "a flash to light a million camp fires in front of the embattled hosts of slavery”. I wonder if those who use the “Uncle Tom” expression as an offence have ever read the book or know about the historical context...
Anyway, I also found that one of Stowe’s major sources of inspiration for this character was Josiah Henson, an ex-slave whose autobiography was originally published in 1849. And then I went to Project Gutenberg and started reading it.
This book is a small gem. It is very short and it is an autobiography, but it reads like an adventure. This man is a true hero not just for all he managed to achieve for himself and his family, but also for everything he did to help other ex-slaves.
I began to reflect, more and more, upon the circumstances of the blacks, who were already somewhat numerous in this region. I was not the only one who had escaped from the States, and had settled on the first spot in Canada which they had reached. Several hundreds of coloured persons were in the neighbourhood; and in the first joy of their deliverance, were going on in a way which, I could see, led to little or no progress in improvement. They were content to have the proceeds of their labour at their own command, and had not the ambition for, or the perception of what was within their easy reach, if they did but know it. They were generally working for hire upon the lands of others, and had not yet dreamed of becoming independent proprietors
themselves. It soon became my great object to awaken them to a sense of the advantages which offered themselves to their grasp.
It was precisely the Yankee spirit which I wished to instill into my fellow-slaves, if possible; and I was not deterred from the task by the perception of the immense contrast in all the habits and character generated by long ages of freedom and servitude, activity and sloth, independence and subjection. My associates agreed with me, and we resolved to select some spot among the many offered to our choice, where we would colonize and raise our own crops, eat our own bread, and be, in short, our own masters.
And so they did.
I found many interesting things, including that most Americans had contact with this story, not through the book, even though it was an enormous success, but through multiple theatre shows that profited from the popularity of the book. I also learned that at that time, US copyright law did not give novel authors any control over stage adaptations. And although not every theatre depiction of Uncle Tom was negative, the dominant version developed into a character very different from the hero of the novel. The original young, strong, Jesus-like figure was made into a passive middle-aged man. Some say this was done in order to redefine Uncle Tom until he fitted within prevailing racist norms and it may well be true, as Wikipedia also states that Stowe assumed no small risk in taking such public stand against slavery before abolitionism had become a socially acceptable cause. Frederick Douglass himself praised the novel as "a flash to light a million camp fires in front of the embattled hosts of slavery”. I wonder if those who use the “Uncle Tom” expression as an offence have ever read the book or know about the historical context...
Anyway, I also found that one of Stowe’s major sources of inspiration for this character was Josiah Henson, an ex-slave whose autobiography was originally published in 1849. And then I went to Project Gutenberg and started reading it.
This book is a small gem. It is very short and it is an autobiography, but it reads like an adventure. This man is a true hero not just for all he managed to achieve for himself and his family, but also for everything he did to help other ex-slaves.
I began to reflect, more and more, upon the circumstances of the blacks, who were already somewhat numerous in this region. I was not the only one who had escaped from the States, and had settled on the first spot in Canada which they had reached. Several hundreds of coloured persons were in the neighbourhood; and in the first joy of their deliverance, were going on in a way which, I could see, led to little or no progress in improvement. They were content to have the proceeds of their labour at their own command, and had not the ambition for, or the perception of what was within their easy reach, if they did but know it. They were generally working for hire upon the lands of others, and had not yet dreamed of becoming independent proprietors
themselves. It soon became my great object to awaken them to a sense of the advantages which offered themselves to their grasp.
It was precisely the Yankee spirit which I wished to instill into my fellow-slaves, if possible; and I was not deterred from the task by the perception of the immense contrast in all the habits and character generated by long ages of freedom and servitude, activity and sloth, independence and subjection. My associates agreed with me, and we resolved to select some spot among the many offered to our choice, where we would colonize and raise our own crops, eat our own bread, and be, in short, our own masters.
And so they did.
June 25, 2018
Henson inspired Stowe's famous novel, and quite frankly, he should be more widely read. His narrative starts with violence towards his father, chronicles his work and eventually buying then losing his freedom, then taking his freedom. He is far more compelling in some ways than Douglas, perhaps because he is a family man.
July 29, 2020
Suffering from its unfortunate brevity, this account of the early 19th century slave-turned minister in the AME is otherwise both historically fascinating and spiritually edifying.
February 10, 2021
Wow! An incredible read! Not only is this a powerful story relating one man’s amazing journey to attain for his family and himself true and complete independence starting from slavery’s horrible conditions, it’s an impressive account of maintaining uprightness and integrity within one’s very soul against the mountainous obstacles life can beset upon us. Josiah Henson is a name everyone should become familiar with and to whom should be offered the highest admiration—an extraordinary role model figure! He is an incredible man I firmly place within the ranks of my all-time favorite heroes. God bless him!
January 18, 2025
The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself is a powerful autobiography that recounts Josiah Henson’s journey from slavery in Maryland to freedom in Canada, where he established a settlement for freed formerly enslaved people. His incredible story inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Henson was born in Port Tobacco, Maryland, a region later known for its ties to Confederate activity (like Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth’s co-conspirators frequenting there). His narrative opens with a haunting memory from when he was three years old: his father defended his mother from being beaten, only to be brutally punished, maimed, and sold away to Alabama, never to be seen again. Henson’s early life was marked by tragedies like this, including the auction and separation of his siblings.
Though the book is relatively short—readable in a few hours—it packs an emotional punch with stories that pull at your heart strings and genuinely move you. The story of finding his faith for the first time when he was allowed to attend a sermon and stepping off into the woods on his way home to pray was beautiful imagery. His faith and sense of honor became defining traits, influencing critical decisions, such as when he led 20 enslaved people from Maryland to Kentucky. Despite passing through Ohio, where freedom was within reach, Henson chose to continue the journey, driven by his deep commitment to duty.
The section detailing Henson’s escape with his family is especially suspenseful. At one point in the journey, they encountered a Native American tribe in the forest, who initially fled in fear, screaming for over a mile as the Henson family followed, but later, after realizing they were harmless, offered help with food and supplies. Just incredible experiences and storytelling.
The only criticisms I have of the book are that I wanted more information (he met Queen Victoria, for example, on his travels in London while he was looking for funding for his settlement but that was left out of this book. Another time he led a militia in Canada, etc.). I was often looking up things online that I wanted more insight into (maybe an updated version with annotations or footnotes could be made).
The book ends on a hopeful note, detailing Henson’s success in building a settlement in Canada for freed formerly enslaved people. It gave me such a feeling of hope and positivity in the end and moved me in an unexpected way. I’ve added certain places he was at to my map of places to hopefully visit someday and I was grateful for the opportunity to hear Henson’s voice, one among many tragically silenced by history. His life story is a remarkable testament to courage, faith, and perseverance, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s adapted into a film someday. An inspirational life.
Henson was born in Port Tobacco, Maryland, a region later known for its ties to Confederate activity (like Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth’s co-conspirators frequenting there). His narrative opens with a haunting memory from when he was three years old: his father defended his mother from being beaten, only to be brutally punished, maimed, and sold away to Alabama, never to be seen again. Henson’s early life was marked by tragedies like this, including the auction and separation of his siblings.
Though the book is relatively short—readable in a few hours—it packs an emotional punch with stories that pull at your heart strings and genuinely move you. The story of finding his faith for the first time when he was allowed to attend a sermon and stepping off into the woods on his way home to pray was beautiful imagery. His faith and sense of honor became defining traits, influencing critical decisions, such as when he led 20 enslaved people from Maryland to Kentucky. Despite passing through Ohio, where freedom was within reach, Henson chose to continue the journey, driven by his deep commitment to duty.
The section detailing Henson’s escape with his family is especially suspenseful. At one point in the journey, they encountered a Native American tribe in the forest, who initially fled in fear, screaming for over a mile as the Henson family followed, but later, after realizing they were harmless, offered help with food and supplies. Just incredible experiences and storytelling.
The only criticisms I have of the book are that I wanted more information (he met Queen Victoria, for example, on his travels in London while he was looking for funding for his settlement but that was left out of this book. Another time he led a militia in Canada, etc.). I was often looking up things online that I wanted more insight into (maybe an updated version with annotations or footnotes could be made).
The book ends on a hopeful note, detailing Henson’s success in building a settlement in Canada for freed formerly enslaved people. It gave me such a feeling of hope and positivity in the end and moved me in an unexpected way. I’ve added certain places he was at to my map of places to hopefully visit someday and I was grateful for the opportunity to hear Henson’s voice, one among many tragically silenced by history. His life story is a remarkable testament to courage, faith, and perseverance, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s adapted into a film someday. An inspirational life.
November 13, 2025
Pretty dense even with the low page count
October 21, 2020
A powerful and inspiring story about the life of one man, who not only lifted himself out of slavery but strived to help the rest of his community. His humanity, honesty, intelligence and industriousness are obvious. It's concise and clearly written.
August 20, 2023
This man is my hero. I have read three books about him and every time I am in awe at his strength and resilience. I will never in this lifetime understand how people can treat each other the way masters treated their slaves. It is abominable to me. Yet Josiah rose above it all.
September 21, 2023
The language and syntax very different from today so it took a a little extra concentration to understand the story. But it was well worth the effort. Gives you some idea of what it was like for a person to live as a slave. Not a pretty picture.
March 26, 2019
Excellent read
This was a real life story of a real life man who overcame slavery and blazed the trail of freedom for thousands.
This was a real life story of a real life man who overcame slavery and blazed the trail of freedom for thousands.
June 19, 2022
We had been visiting Bethesda MD and a friend recommended we visit the Josiah Henson house, which I knew nothing about at the time. Not his house but the slave owner Isaac Riley’s actual house on a remaining portion of the actual original land and fields where he lived and relied on human slaves to turn a profitable farm. Onsite, I learned that Josiah Henson had a harrowing life story - not unexpected for a slave - and had survived the mistreatment of his soul and his body, had ultimately escaped to Canada with his wife and children, started an agricultural community for escaped black slaves, learned to read, returned to rescue other slaves, and written his own autobiography. His story is compelling, the autobiography compelling, and it’s important to be humble when reading this.
July 21, 2018
The farm where Josiah Henson was enslaved for much of his life was just a few blocks away from where I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. Reading his autobiography for the first time was a life changing moment for me. This really is a book every American should read and cherish. I feel profoundly grateful that Mr. Henson shared his story and plan to come back to this text frequently to be reminded of both the profound cruelty and amazing perseverance that people are capable of.
September 10, 2019
One of the most believable slave narratives I've read (I think at least a few of them were actually written by white abolitionists) this was the model for the great 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' which stirred much controversy before the Civil War. This is a very important narrative to understanding slavery and how it impacted the slave. I recommend it for any student of that era.
July 12, 2020
“What else, indeed, can be the feeling of the slave, liable at every moment of his life to these frightful and unnecessary calamities, which may be caused by the caprice of the abandoned, or the supposed necessities of the better part of slaveholders, and inflicted upon him without sympathy or redress, under the sanction of the laws which uphold the institution?”
April 26, 2019
I read the first half of the chapter online free, then purchased the book in its entirety. Josiah Henson was a man of integrity living in a time of dreadful persecution. The words of this book caused me to weep with regret over past wrongs faced in our country.
February 5, 2020
Josiah Henson is the real-life person that the character of Uncle Tom in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was based on. Firsthand accounts on slavery, like this book, are the most authentic and captivating to read. The book is free on Kindle.
February 17, 2020
An excellent read.
The concise and enlightening autobiography of a man whose life was spent bettering the lives of those around him, both black and white, deserving and undeserving.
The concise and enlightening autobiography of a man whose life was spent bettering the lives of those around him, both black and white, deserving and undeserving.
February 19, 2021
Read and learn!
This is an excellent illustration of the power of God's grace and mercy and transformation of a man to be used for His glory! True history that you won't find taught in schools today. An amazing firsthand account of a journey from slave to freedom!
This is an excellent illustration of the power of God's grace and mercy and transformation of a man to be used for His glory! True history that you won't find taught in schools today. An amazing firsthand account of a journey from slave to freedom!
January 2, 2023
(I picked up my copy of this book at the Dawn Settlement museum and will say if you have the chance to go, it’s worth a trip. It was an extra hour of the main road to get there and I learned so much more then I was expecting to! Very well done facilities and the guide we had was really informative and helpful)
Although a tad formal in tone, Josiah’s condensed tale of his life to the point of this publication was fascinating and also quite moving to read. Having visited what’s left of the Dawn settlement in Canada, simply being able to connect the physical buildings and location to Henson’s autobiography really drove home the struggles and hope he carried for himself and other slaves to become more then what they thought they were. Having driven by car up from the Midwest, I also can’t even begin to fathom how he and his family achieved the journey the way they did! With hard work, resilience, luck, and a lot of faith, Henson achieved a lot to be proud of.
I’ve not read Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe yet, but it’s definitely on my tbr.
Although a tad formal in tone, Josiah’s condensed tale of his life to the point of this publication was fascinating and also quite moving to read. Having visited what’s left of the Dawn settlement in Canada, simply being able to connect the physical buildings and location to Henson’s autobiography really drove home the struggles and hope he carried for himself and other slaves to become more then what they thought they were. Having driven by car up from the Midwest, I also can’t even begin to fathom how he and his family achieved the journey the way they did! With hard work, resilience, luck, and a lot of faith, Henson achieved a lot to be proud of.
I’ve not read Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe yet, but it’s definitely on my tbr.
August 9, 2020
After reading Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, I learned that the character Uncle Tom was based on Josiah Henson, so I wanted to read his autobiography. Many of the incidents in the novel coincide with events in the novel, but I was very happy that Josiah was able to make the journey with his to Canada to become a free man. He describes, the cruelty of slavery, as depicted in the novel, also. He also expresses his strong beliefs as a Christian. His short autobiography was told to someone to record it for history. 3.5 stars
March 6, 2023
slavery to CEO
I saw a documentary during Black History month having to do with redeeming Uncle Tom. A ‘uncle Tom’ is associated with a very negative connotation. It’s definitely something you don’t want to be called.
So, the redemption of Uncle Tom told much of the story of Josiah Henson and a summary of his life which gives no notion of a ‘uncle tom’ in the way it’s defined now. I know the book, ‘Uncle Toms Cabin’ left a altered impression but I read the book so long ago but didn’t have the knowledge of the real positive basis which is Josiah Henson.
Due to the documentary, I listened to this book which was throughly enjoyable especially once Josiah Escaped the heinous and crushing oppression of slavery.
Now I must read the Uncle Tom’s Cabin book and hopefully it will all be clear to me.
Josiah’s book here can’t possibly cover even a 1/3 of what he experienced. That, I am sure. However, his book gives you a great sense of his innate intelligence. His drive to raise up the escaped slaves confidence, responsibilities, education and land ownership.
Slavery stole the mind and wrecked the body. That oppressive breaking a animal as the Slave owners may say, has a transgenerational and historical impact today. Those who pulled up like Josiah and helped others existed but many of these communities were burned down like Black Wallstreet! The school system doesn’t provide the opportunity to see/hear success and how the white man systemically crushed it. Add Jim Crow, injustice in law, and more, the effects of slavery is raw, active and still deep in the un/subconscious.. not all white people are bad And most of our world is lulled into complacency bc we don’t know that hegemony is ripe and secret.
Reading this book shows how quickly one can move up if allowed and can change lives so quickly. It’s powerful but also sad knowing, from other books/documentaries, that lynching, laws based in racism and the all out violence against black communities that were moving upwards and so successful. No one wants to bring that into consciousness so we can’t clearly see the culprit of what’s still infecting the black people of the present. It’s less obvious but malignant.
This book must be read along with other books from these times all help raise awareness .. being woke as it’s popular to say… open your eyes and ears.
This book is a good place to start. It’s s awesome story and ultimately uplifting
I saw a documentary during Black History month having to do with redeeming Uncle Tom. A ‘uncle Tom’ is associated with a very negative connotation. It’s definitely something you don’t want to be called.
So, the redemption of Uncle Tom told much of the story of Josiah Henson and a summary of his life which gives no notion of a ‘uncle tom’ in the way it’s defined now. I know the book, ‘Uncle Toms Cabin’ left a altered impression but I read the book so long ago but didn’t have the knowledge of the real positive basis which is Josiah Henson.
Due to the documentary, I listened to this book which was throughly enjoyable especially once Josiah Escaped the heinous and crushing oppression of slavery.
Now I must read the Uncle Tom’s Cabin book and hopefully it will all be clear to me.
Josiah’s book here can’t possibly cover even a 1/3 of what he experienced. That, I am sure. However, his book gives you a great sense of his innate intelligence. His drive to raise up the escaped slaves confidence, responsibilities, education and land ownership.
Slavery stole the mind and wrecked the body. That oppressive breaking a animal as the Slave owners may say, has a transgenerational and historical impact today. Those who pulled up like Josiah and helped others existed but many of these communities were burned down like Black Wallstreet! The school system doesn’t provide the opportunity to see/hear success and how the white man systemically crushed it. Add Jim Crow, injustice in law, and more, the effects of slavery is raw, active and still deep in the un/subconscious.. not all white people are bad And most of our world is lulled into complacency bc we don’t know that hegemony is ripe and secret.
Reading this book shows how quickly one can move up if allowed and can change lives so quickly. It’s powerful but also sad knowing, from other books/documentaries, that lynching, laws based in racism and the all out violence against black communities that were moving upwards and so successful. No one wants to bring that into consciousness so we can’t clearly see the culprit of what’s still infecting the black people of the present. It’s less obvious but malignant.
This book must be read along with other books from these times all help raise awareness .. being woke as it’s popular to say… open your eyes and ears.
This book is a good place to start. It’s s awesome story and ultimately uplifting
May 1, 2018
If you're looking for a Slave Narrative that is wildly different from the many others that have been written than this is for you. It also continues past his escape to his time in Canada, organizing ex-slaves as a community leader, and learning how to read. (I found his difficulties learning how to read strikingly similar to Davos Seaworth when he learns to read in SoS.)
"...the love of superiority is not confined to kings and emperors; and it is a positive fact, that pride and ambition were as active in my soul as probably they ever were in that of the greatest soldier or statesman. The objects I pursued, I must admit, were not just the same as theirs. Mine were to be first in the field, whether we were hoeing, mowing, or reaping; to surpass those of my own age, or indeed any age, in athletic exercises; and to obtain, if possible, the favorable regard of the petty despot who ruled over us. This last was an exercise of the understanding, rather than of the affections; and I was guided in it more by what I supposed would be effectual, than by a nice judgment of the propriety of the means I used."
This outlook is certainly a unique one among the American slave Narratives that I have read. Henson relates how he encouraged his fellow field hands to work harder and longer in the field, but also how he aided them with favors and assistance.
Other interesting passages in the narrative involve Henson being appointed overseer, after exposing the previous one for stealing from his master, and raising "more than double the crops, with more cheerful and willing labor, than was ever seen on the estate before." This role was expanded until he basically ran the whole plantation.
Henson relates how he was the "designated driver" to keep his master out of trouble when he went drinking and gambling.
Henson was assigned to lead his master's slaves to Kentucky, by himself. And he managed to do it, with no major problems.
There's an interesting account of him learning how to drive a steamboat and then being forced to sail it after the captain came down with an affliction of the eyes.
Overall, Henson was a remarkable person with an interesting life, a unique outlook, and more than a few fascinating stories to tell.
Read it for free at docsouth.unc.edu:
http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/henson49/...
"...the love of superiority is not confined to kings and emperors; and it is a positive fact, that pride and ambition were as active in my soul as probably they ever were in that of the greatest soldier or statesman. The objects I pursued, I must admit, were not just the same as theirs. Mine were to be first in the field, whether we were hoeing, mowing, or reaping; to surpass those of my own age, or indeed any age, in athletic exercises; and to obtain, if possible, the favorable regard of the petty despot who ruled over us. This last was an exercise of the understanding, rather than of the affections; and I was guided in it more by what I supposed would be effectual, than by a nice judgment of the propriety of the means I used."
This outlook is certainly a unique one among the American slave Narratives that I have read. Henson relates how he encouraged his fellow field hands to work harder and longer in the field, but also how he aided them with favors and assistance.
Other interesting passages in the narrative involve Henson being appointed overseer, after exposing the previous one for stealing from his master, and raising "more than double the crops, with more cheerful and willing labor, than was ever seen on the estate before." This role was expanded until he basically ran the whole plantation.
Henson relates how he was the "designated driver" to keep his master out of trouble when he went drinking and gambling.
Henson was assigned to lead his master's slaves to Kentucky, by himself. And he managed to do it, with no major problems.
There's an interesting account of him learning how to drive a steamboat and then being forced to sail it after the captain came down with an affliction of the eyes.
Overall, Henson was a remarkable person with an interesting life, a unique outlook, and more than a few fascinating stories to tell.
Read it for free at docsouth.unc.edu:
http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/henson49/...
July 11, 2024
A person is likely to hear of Josiah Henson after first hearing of the fictional character he inspired, Uncle Tom. But Henson was no Uncle Tom. While this narrative presents some of his sufferings, the dominant theme is that he lived honorably and expected to be treated accordingly -- even though he was frequently not treated accordingly. This narrative is a short, quick read, another one to consider reading if one reads slave narratives and as a corrective to the Uncle Tom character.
In Chatham, ON, Canada are several sites maintained as museums and memorials to Henson and the Underground Railroad. I intend to visit Chatham in late August.
In Chatham, ON, Canada are several sites maintained as museums and memorials to Henson and the Underground Railroad. I intend to visit Chatham in late August.
May 26, 2021
Ebook wasn't available on Amazon, but found it on Barnes & Noble:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/uncl...
July 7, 2021
Riveting. Unlike many autobiographies that home a brighter light on the positive fond memories, tales of Henson’s trials, regrets failures were not skipped and give great balance to his overcoming obstacles that would destroy a lesser man completely.
July 15, 2021
Fascinating story told by the man himself! I am fortunate that I will be visiting the plantation where he spent his early years. It happens to be down the street from where I live in Rockville, Md! Can’t wait to put it all into context.
December 24, 2021
Told in his own words, we learn a little of the Josiah's life as a slave and how he gained his freedom. Honestly, I think I need to learn more. He seemed very modest detailing his life events. What a neat man!
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