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A Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper from American Slavery
Moses Roper (c. 1815-1891) was a mulatto slave who wrote one of the major early books about life as a slave in the United States - A Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper From American Slavery (1838). Moses was born in Caswell County, North Carolina. He grew up with his mother and was trained as a domestic slave until he was about seven years old when his father exchanged him and his mother for other slaves. Roper struggled tremendously when he was put to work in the fields and forests of the South-receiving harsher treatment for his inefficiency from his overseers and masters. Throughout his time in slavery, Moses attempted escape on at least 16 occasions, most of them while under his cruelest master, Mr. Gooch. He became quite famous in England because of his grand escape from American slavery and the book he later wrote about his life as a slave. In his book, he made sure to include explicit examples of the torture methods used by slave holders.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
41 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 24, 2019
In "Theses on the Philosophy of History," German critic and philosopher Walter Benjamin presents a scathing critique of history as progress. The site of this reading of history as progress is located in the historicist understanding of history. Benjamin argues, "Historicism depicts the 'eternal' picture of the past" (Thesis XVI). In its original German, "ewige" is translated to "eternal," but I wonder if this translation lacks connotative precision. An alternative translation is "everlasting," which, frankly, I prefer since it captures the spirit of Benjamin's point. More than anything, Benjamin critiques historicism's ideological disposition toward history. According to Benjamin, the historicist cannot know history because history, according to the historicist, is the everlasting march of progress. Benjamin does not agree. Instead of a progressive "chain of events," Benjamin sees a "single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage" (Thesis IX). To Benjamin, this "wreckage" is history.
In the days following my reading of Moses Roper's short but provocative slave narrative Narrative of My Escape from Slavery, I thought, perhaps surprisingly enough, of Benjamin. Roper's eventual escape from enslavement is harrowing, but his deterministic turn on the final two pages has potentially problematic consequences. Roper writes, "Should that Divine Being who made of one flesh all the kindreds of the earth, see fit that I should again clasp them [Roper's family members still in slavery] to my breast, and see in them the reality of free men and free women, how shall I, a poor mortal, be enabled to sing a strain of praise sufficiently appropriate to such a boon from heaven. But if the all-wise disposer of all things should see fit to keep them still in suffering and bondage, it is a mercy to know, that he orders all things well…he is working out that which shall be most for the advantage of his creatures" (42-43). To be fair, Roper crafted Narrative of My Escape from Slavery as an abolitionist text designed to show a white, predominately Christian majority the horrors of chattel slavery; therefore, deterministic echoes that make overt references to the Christian God should come as no surprise. But I suppose I have fewer problems with Roper than I do with how we in this country (i.e., the United States) think about and couch slavery and racial inequality as a historical phenomenon. As the narrative goes, we have moved beyond the brutality of the past. We were not ready in 1776 when we declared independence, we were not ready in 1788 when we ratified our Constitution, nor were we ready in 1838, the year Roper published Narrative of My Escape from Slavery. No trouble though. Each of those failures created the conditions for success in the future, and that, as I understand it, is one persuasive definition of progress. Under the auspices of progress, each of those failures becomes understood as necessary. But this cannot be the story of progress we tell ourselves because, in addition to being too simple, it's deterministic in ways that transform people into means rather than ends.
Benjamin is right; we should understand history as wreckage. Even though Roper's Narrative of My Escape from Slavery indulges in political rhetoric at its close, the narrative itself speaks to the wreckage of our fraught, ignorant, and deplorable history. It is hard to read Narrative of My Escape from Slavery and not agree with Benjamin. The historicist impulse, an impulse that informs how many of us are encouraged to think, is one of repression, and this impulse in one slave narratives like Narrative of My Escape from Slavery lay bare.
In the days following my reading of Moses Roper's short but provocative slave narrative Narrative of My Escape from Slavery, I thought, perhaps surprisingly enough, of Benjamin. Roper's eventual escape from enslavement is harrowing, but his deterministic turn on the final two pages has potentially problematic consequences. Roper writes, "Should that Divine Being who made of one flesh all the kindreds of the earth, see fit that I should again clasp them [Roper's family members still in slavery] to my breast, and see in them the reality of free men and free women, how shall I, a poor mortal, be enabled to sing a strain of praise sufficiently appropriate to such a boon from heaven. But if the all-wise disposer of all things should see fit to keep them still in suffering and bondage, it is a mercy to know, that he orders all things well…he is working out that which shall be most for the advantage of his creatures" (42-43). To be fair, Roper crafted Narrative of My Escape from Slavery as an abolitionist text designed to show a white, predominately Christian majority the horrors of chattel slavery; therefore, deterministic echoes that make overt references to the Christian God should come as no surprise. But I suppose I have fewer problems with Roper than I do with how we in this country (i.e., the United States) think about and couch slavery and racial inequality as a historical phenomenon. As the narrative goes, we have moved beyond the brutality of the past. We were not ready in 1776 when we declared independence, we were not ready in 1788 when we ratified our Constitution, nor were we ready in 1838, the year Roper published Narrative of My Escape from Slavery. No trouble though. Each of those failures created the conditions for success in the future, and that, as I understand it, is one persuasive definition of progress. Under the auspices of progress, each of those failures becomes understood as necessary. But this cannot be the story of progress we tell ourselves because, in addition to being too simple, it's deterministic in ways that transform people into means rather than ends.
Benjamin is right; we should understand history as wreckage. Even though Roper's Narrative of My Escape from Slavery indulges in political rhetoric at its close, the narrative itself speaks to the wreckage of our fraught, ignorant, and deplorable history. It is hard to read Narrative of My Escape from Slavery and not agree with Benjamin. The historicist impulse, an impulse that informs how many of us are encouraged to think, is one of repression, and this impulse in one slave narratives like Narrative of My Escape from Slavery lay bare.
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July 24, 2020Reality is put forth in the words and writing from someone who has conquered and overcome many horrible obstacles. This book had my attention from the first few page's, I'm not sure if there is more to Mr. Roper's story, but I am interested to do some research and read more about his freed life. Great book!
February 18, 2021
Moses Roper's autobiography as a victim of a multitude of brutalities and cruelties of slavery. A disturbing but vital read.
August 23, 2025
Fucking whitey. That's me too, by the way so calm your ass down for a sec. Have you read this? Sure, we all "know" about slavery but have you really ever THOUGHT about it? Can someone read this to Kanye please?
February 22, 2015
Wow! This is a hell of a story. I just finished reading the book "Wench" by Dolen Perkins-Valdez about slave owners who vacationed out in the open in Ohio with their 'wench' slaves. This prompted me to pick up a book already on my shelves that highlighted several slave narratives including leading with the one by this author Moses Roper. Very soon it was clear an extract was not sufficient for his story which is about one man's indomitable will to get to freedom and his attempts to escape and numerous significant floggings which were the lesser of the extreme cruelty that was inflicted on him. The cruelty was so bad he was only prompted to escape again and again and again. I am inspired how he ends the book talking about his love of God, his love of America, but desire to see "the land of the free" live up to that name.
January 20, 2014
This book was an eye opener for me and a great story to read. I picked up a copy visiting the MLK, Jr. Memorial in Atlanta. Looking at the available books in the bookstore, I picked up a copy of this book, read a couple paragraphs in the middle and decided to make a purchase. It was the first, first-person slave narrative I had ever read and it brought home the realities of his struggle.
It is a short book and easy to read. I certainly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.
It is a short book and easy to read. I certainly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.
September 19, 2012
Only 64 pages, but such a weighty novel. Sobering. That human beings are capable of such atrocities is unfathomable. Amazing how many times Moses tried to escape and finally gained his freedom. Even more amazing that after all he endured, he was not bitter or harboring resentment. Makes me look up to him as a genuine hero.
July 16, 2016
My Relation
I have always found slavery to be a sad thing. To know that my distant relation was not only a slave, but to have been beaten and treated so horribly, especially for the color of his skin, really makes me ill.
I am glad he finally was able to obtain his freedom tho I am sorry he never got to see his family again.
I have always found slavery to be a sad thing. To know that my distant relation was not only a slave, but to have been beaten and treated so horribly, especially for the color of his skin, really makes me ill.
I am glad he finally was able to obtain his freedom tho I am sorry he never got to see his family again.
September 15, 2014
This book gave first hand look into slavery. It tells how cruel people were back then and they used the bible to justify it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews