A Summary Of The Story Of William And Ellen Craft As A Slavery

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Summary: The story of William and Ellen Craft is a fascinating story of an African American couple who were able to defeat the odds and escape slavery. The document is an anti-slavery document, written during the civil war. Ellen Craft was woman who was passionate about being a wife and a mother. William Craft did not want to raise a family as a slave. They wanted their freedom more than anything. Ellen used her physical appearance, her wit and her passion to escape slavery. Not knowing how to read or write their enthusiasm to live a different kind of life drove them to freedom. Autobiographies of ex-slaves in America have become a foundation of African American literature. Slavery accounts were for a long time not considered. They give us a unique glimpse into the souls of slaves. Many of the narratives published are windows into slavery and are first person accounts. Numerous were used for political endeavors and now are part of history,
Context: Ellen Craft was born in Georgia to a mixed race slave and her planter master. Ellen was very fair and resembled the other children in her master’s family. When she was eleven years old, she was given as a wedding gift to the planter masters daughter. They wanted to get her out of their house, as they considered her an embarrassment to the family. Ellen then grew up as a house servant to her half sister. At age 20 she married a fellow slave, William Craft. “Formal marriage was not possible between slaves, who could not make legally binding agreements between themselves that interfered with the masters’ rights of ownership.” William was held as a slave in half interest. He was able to work as a carpenter and saved money. During the Christmas season of 1848 Ellen and William Cra...

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...aft’s published a written account of their escape. The book reached a vast audience in Great Britain and the United States. The Crafts returned to the US in 1868, three years after the end of the civil war. Their account was reprinted in the United States in 1999, with both the Crafts credited as authors. The most influential slave narratives of the antebellum era were designed to inform white readers about the realities of slavery. At one time, some of the literature was dismissed as mere antislavery propaganda. The widespread utilization of slave narratives in the 1800’s has testified to the influence of these texts. They were to incite reflection and raise question among their readers, primarily on questions of race, social justice, and the meaning of freedom. They continue to be prominent in literature and historical curriculum in American universities today.

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