William craft and ellen craft, author info, published. The true story of ellen and william craft, fugitive slaves d. Ellen was the daughter of a white slaveholding father and slave mother. As a domestic slave in a midsized town, ellen took frequent trips out of the house, and on one of these errands, the year she turned 20, she met william craft. Their daring escape was widely publicized, making them among the. Their story offers fascinating insights into issues of race, gender, and class in 19thcentury america. Ellen craft 18261891 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia in the united states who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. Ellen craft 18261897 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia in the united states who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day.
Running a thousand miles for freedom by william craft, ellen craft free ebook. Ellen was born in 1826 in clinton, ga, to a biracial slave woman and her whiteamerican master, and was so lightskinned that she was often mistaken for a member of her fathers family. Having married as slaves in georgia, yet unwilling to raise a family in servitude, the couple came up with a plan to. Or, the escape of william and ellen craft from slavery william craft, ellen craft mnemosyne publishing company, 1860 history 111 pages. Ellen craft was the child of a slave owner and his biracial slave. William and ellen crafts daring escape from slavery is a tale that could one day be retold by a major movie studio. Their paternal ancestors were william and ellen craft, an enslaved couple from macon, georgia, who made a daring escape to freedom in 1848. Alloy entertainment and alloy features are moving to produce running a thousand miles for freedom, a feature film based on the book by william and ellen craft first published in 1860 that tells the. Ellen craft died in 1897 and was buried on their plantation. Ellen craft 18261891 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were.
The great escape from slavery of ellen and william craft. The great escape from slavery of ellen and william craft passing as a white man traveling with his servant, two slaves fled their masters in a thrilling tale of deception and intrigue. Shepard memorial library, north carolina central university. Ellen and william craft, the most daring slave escape in. In running a thousand miles for freedom 1860, william craft recounts the circumstances under which he and his wife escaped from slavery. Because she took after her father in appearance, she could pass for white. Feb 28, 2020 eventually, william and ellen craft moved to england to avoid bounty hunters who sought to profit by recapturing the pair under the fugitive slave act in 1850.
The first and shortest part of the book is william crafts powerful account of how he and his wife ellen executed a daring escape from servitude in georgia. On november 7, the reverend theodore parker performs a wedding ceremony for the craft s. Ellen and william craft, fugitive slaves and abolitionists ellen craft 18261891 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 1 were slaves from macon, georgia, in the united states, who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. William was born on september 25, 1824, in macon, georgia, and ellen was born in 1826 in clinton, georgia. Running a thousand miles for freedom by ellen craft and. Nov 30, 2016 william and ellen craft were born into slavery. The escape of william and ellen craft from slavery brown thrasher books william craft, barbara mccaskill on. Aug 22, 2012 ellen craft 18261897 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia in the united states who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. William and ellen crafts selfliberation is one of the most remarkable escapes ever recorded in a historic slave narrative.
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. This book is not intended as a full history of the life of my wife, nor of myself. Running a thousand miles for freedom by william craft, ellen. William and ellen craft s selfliberation is one of the most remarkable escapes ever recorded in a historic slave narrative. The young couple disguised ellen, a lightskinned, halfwhite woman, as a white, male slave owner travelling with his slave. William and ellen craft in cultural memory and provided the introduction for the uga presss edition of running a thousand miles for freedom. The digital public library of america brings together the riches of americas libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.
The book also includes an epilogue featuring relatives of ellen and william craft and how they view the flight to freedom by their forbearers. The brave escape of ellen and william craft ebook, 2006. William craft 1824 1900 and ellen craft 1826 1891 were slaves from macon, georgia in the united states who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. Running a thousand miles for freedom or, the escape of william and ellen craft from slavery language. Ellen craft s race was classified as quadroon, referring to one quarter african descent and threequarters european ancestry. Barbara mccaskill is a professor of english and codirector of the civil rights digital library at the university of georgia. Apr 17, 2018 barbara mccaskill is a professor of english and codirector of the civil rights digital library at the university of georgia. Courage, quick thinking, luck and our heavenly father, sustained them, the crafts said in running a thousand miles for freedom, the book they. An excerpt from running a thousand miles for freedom or. Recent blog posts these are the most recent 10 blog posts about two tickets to freedom. This compelling 1860 narrative recounts a remarkable escape. The great escape from slavery of ellen and william craft history. William and ellen craft devised a daring plan in which the lightskinned wife disguised herself as a man and the husband posed as her servant. She passed as a white male planter and he as her personal servant.
Tod smith recounts the story of ellen and william craft s daring escape in 1848 from slavery in georgia to freedom in pennsylvania. The brave escape of ellen and william craft by donald b. Recounts how ellen craft and her husband, william, escaped from slavery disguised as mr. Running a thousand miles for freedom is a written account by ellen craft and william craft first published in 1860. They write in a florid style and love to moralize and include quotes to describe or validate their statements, all of which slows the story. The true story of ellen and william craft, fugitive slaves in.
Written and performed by quanda johnson 3 minutes william and ellen craft met and married in georgia. Ellen and william crafts flight from slavery timeline created by franklin8310. Tod smith recounts the story of ellen and william crafts daring escape in 1848 from slavery in georgia to freedom in pennsylvania. A light skinned female slave dresses in mens clothes and buys a train ticket for herself a slave and her. The book not only offered a firsthand account of slavery, it also showed. Invision employees share their remote work secrets. Craft, a fairskinned woman, posed as a white plantation owner while her husband posed as her servant during a risky journey from georgia to philadelphia in 1848. William and ellen craft displayed tremendous courage, faith, creativity, and desperation in their flight to freedom, and the book is well worth reading. Feb 15, 2019 their book, running a thousand miles for freedom, recounts their adventures, and shows how in her disguise, she had to cross three social barriers. Ellen craft, the slave who posed as a master and made. She was the daughter of a biracial slave and her white master, major james smith, and was eventually given to the masters daughter to rid her from the household and her half siblings. This book is not intended as a full history of the. Their maternal ancestors were the fossetts of monticello. The william and ellen craft story thomas jeffersons monticello.
This brief memoir recounts their journey northward in 1848, when they made their way to philadelphia and later settled in boston, where they were active in abolitionist circles. Their daring plan involved ellen traveling as a white male slave master with william as her slave. Risking everything, they embarked on their journey from georgia on december 21, 1848. She posed as a white male planter and he as her personal servant. Lightskinned ellen craft disguised herself as a man while her husband, william, posed as her servant. Recounts how ellen craft and her husband, william, escaped from. Barbara mccaskill, love, liberation, and escaping slavery. Craft, a fairskinned woman, posed as a white plantation owner while her husband posed as her servant during a risky journey from georgia to.
The william and ellen craft story thomas jeffersons. She is the author of love, liberation, and escaping slavery. William dodges their watchful eyes and bostonians warn the slave catchers from the city before they are hurt. The daring escape of ellen craft on my own history. Their book, running a thousand miles for freedom, recounts their adventures, and shows how in her disguise, she had to cross three social barriers. By december, the craft s had mad their way to liverpool, england. Ellen craft, the slave who posed as a master and made herself. Take your hr comms to the next level with prezi video. In 1848 william and ellen craft made one of the most daring and remarkable escapes in the history of slavery in america. A few days before christmas, 1848, a man named william craft gave his wife ellen a haircutin fact, he cut it to the nape of her neck, far shorter than. Sisters virginia craft rose and ellen craft dammond had remarkable ancestors on both sides of their family. Ellen and william crafts flight from slavery timeline. The book was dropped from the syllabus, but i am glad i read it anyway.
Ellen and william craft, slaves who escaped to freedom. An excerpt from running a thousand miles for freedom or the escape of william and ellen craft from slavery by william craft, 1860. Running a thousand miles for freedom book by william craft. Or, the escape of william and ellen craft from slavery dover thrift editions william craft. William and ellen craft, running a thousand miles for freedom. William craft and ellen craft, author info, published books. The daring disguise that helped one enslaved couple escape to. The pair successfully traveled from georgia to philadelphia and later settled in boston. Eventually, william and ellen craft moved to england to avoid bounty hunters who sought to profit by recapturing the pair under the fugitive. Ellen and william craft were married slaves born in georgia during the first half of the 19th century but belonged at first to separate families. Grades ellen and william craft were slaves determined to escape to freedom. Mar 04, 2016 alloy entertainment and alloy features are moving to produce running a thousand miles for freedom, a feature film based on the book by william and ellen craft first published in 1860 that tells the.
Ellen and william crafts remarkable story is inspiring on many levels, and tells a story. Since only williams narrative voice tells their joint story in the book, critics say it is suggestive of how difficult it was for a black woman to find a public. William 18241900 and ellen craft 18261891 were born into slavery in georgia. Running a thousand miles for freedom by william craft. Ellen and william crafts ingenious escape to freedom. The escape of william and ellen craft from slavery athens. Ellen craft 18261891 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia, in the united states, who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. William craft university of north carolina at chapel hill. Ellen craft is based on true events of a halfwhite, halfblack womans harrowing escape from slavery disguised as a white man traveling with his slave who was actually her dark skinned husband william. In 1860, william crafts narrative of his escape with ellen was published. The daring disguise that helped one enslaved couple escape. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. Their book reached wide audiences in great britain and the united states and it represents one of the most compelling of the many slave narratives published before the american. With fairskinned ellen in the guise of a white male planter and william posing as her servant, the crafts traveled by rail and shipin plain sight and relative luxuryfrom bondage in macon, georgia, to freedom first in philadelphia, then boston, and ultimately.
A true story of william and ellen craft, fugitive slaves. Ellen crafts race was classified as quadroon, referring to one quarter african descent and threequarters european ancestry. The brave escape of ellen and william craft book, 2006. Told with all the suspense of the best adventure fiction, this powerful book is the true story of ellen and william craft, a husband and wife who escaped from slavery in georgia in 1848. The birthdates of both william and ellen are unknown as there were no birth records kept for slaves. An excerpt from running a thousand miles for freedom or the. Running a thousand miles for freedom by ellen craft and william.
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