Josiah Henson A Remarkable Rhetor
Introduction:
The 1800s is a time phase where our country faced against slavery. Throughout the time, equality between different races were not fair in some words. Slavery was the main reason people had different approaches on African Americans, or blacks as they called them. However, not all African Americans decided to stay with this system. Josiah Henson was an African American who was a slave that decided to change. Despite his childhood, Henson was part of the abolition movement and left a legacy in this country. Josiah Henson notably impacted the abolition movement.
Background:
Josiah Henson was born in 1789 as a slave. Throughout his childhood, Henson was separated from his family and was bought under the name of Isaac Riley (Williamson). Henson was loyal to Riley, making Henson a trustworthy slave. Henson was married, although the wife's name is still unknown, and had twelve children, four of which were born enslaved (Williamson). Once Henson knew Riley was going to sell him instead of buying his freedom, Henson decided to flee along with his wife and children. Their destination of freedom was Dresden, Ontario, Canada. When Henson's first wife died, he married a widow from Boston (Williamson).
Involvement:
Throughout the abolition movement, Henson was involved with the Underground Railroad. He lead over two hundred slaves to freedom by guiding them to Canada. Henson created the Dawn Institute in Chanthom, Ontario, Canada (Asanta...). The Dawn Institute is a refuge for fugitives who were slaves. As they attended the institute, the fugitive slaves learned how the system functioned. Not only that but they also learned how to develop survival skills in order to live on their own. During the abolition movement, Henson traveled to Canada and to England to preach of the “evils of slavery”.
Legacy:
With Josiah Henson being a part of the abolition movement, he has taught us the pain of what slaves have experienced. Henson may have gave us preaches to remember but the most memorable piece he left behind was Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written and published by Harriet B. Stowe, was influenced and based on Henson’s life story. This book has given America an image of what it is like to be placed in a slave’s perspective. With this in mind, Uncle Tom’s Cabin may have influenced the Civil War in America (Stowe Center). However one thing is for sure, Josiah Henson has given us guidance towards the direction on how we want to run our country.
