Living to Tell the Horrid Tales: True Life Stories of Fomer Slaves, Historical Documents & Novels

Living to Tell the Horrid Tales: True Life Stories of Fomer Slaves, Historical Documents & Novels

by Josiah HensonJacob D. Green Olaudah Equiano and others
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date: 16/10/2017

Share This eBook:

  $2.99

'Living to Tell the Horrid Tales: True Life Stories of Former Slaves, Historical Documents & Novels' is a profound anthology that embodies a spectrum of narratives ranging from heart-wrenching slave narratives to poignant memoirs and reflective novels. This collection encapsulates the horrific experiences and the resilient spirit of those bound by chains, alongside the connected literary pursuits that aim to expose and abolish the brutal injustices of their times. The diversity of literary styles, from raw, firsthand accounts to richly imagined reconstructions, allows readers to experience the multifaceted impact of slavery and emancipation through various narrative lenses, highlighting the immense power of written word as a tool for resistance and enlightenment. The contributing authors and editors of this anthology are significant figures who not only witnessed the grim reality of slavery but were also pivotal in their critique and activism against it. Their collective works, steeped in the historical and cultural contexts of their times, shed light on the tenacity required to challenge systemic oppression. This anthology aligns with pivotal anti-slavery and civil rights movements, thus serving as a vital academic repository and a testament to the unyielding quest for freedom and equality. The convergence of such influential voices offers a nuanced perspective on the legacy of slavery and the ongoing struggle for civil rights. 'Living to Tell the Horrid Tales' is essential for readers who wish to delve deeply into the personal and collective histories of slavery, resistance, and reform. This unique anthology offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore a tapestry of powerful stories and enrich one's understanding of a dark yet crucial part of human history. Educational, evocative, and transformative, this collection promises to ignite thoughtful discussion and foster a deeper appreciation for the profound narratives that have shaped, and continue to influence, our society's foundations and beliefs.

ISBN:
9788027225491
9788027225491
Category:
Anthologies (non-poetry)
Format:
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date:
16-10-2017
Language:
English
Publisher:
Musaicum Books
James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson was born in Jacksonville, 1871. He trained in music and in 1901 moved to New York with his brother John; together they wrote around two hundred songs for Broadway. His first book, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, published anonymously in 1912, was not a great success until he reissued it in his own name in 1927.

In that time he established his reputation as a writer and became known in the Harlem Renaissance for his poems and for collating anthologies of poems by other black writers. Through his work as a civil rights activist he became the first executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as well as the first African American professor to be hired at New York University. He died in 1938.

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, was born on November 30, 1835, in the tiny village of Florida, Missouri.

Writing grand tales about Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and the mighty Mississippi River, Mark Twain explored the American soul with wit, buoyancy, and a sharp eye for truth. He became nothing less than a national treasure.

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith, a veteran of over a thousand armed operations during his twenty-two years with the Metropolitan Police specialist firearms command, was born in south London in 1960. He joined the Met at nineteen and after twelve years in uniform passed selection for PT17, the Mets firearms unit, where he was selected to work on the specialist firearms teams, experiencing first-hand the explosive and controversial world of police firearms operations.

Solomon Northup

Solomon Northup was born a free man in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1808. He lived as such until 1841 when, attracted by a job offer, he travelled to Washington, DC, where he was drugged and sold into slavery by his supposed employers.

Northup was enslaved for twelve years before he regained his freedom and returned to New York. There, he became an advocate for abolitionism and in the 1860s began helping fugitive slaves via the Underground Railroad.

Northup is believed to have died between 1863 and 1875, but both the date and circumstances of his death are unknown.

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland, 1818. He was separated from his mother as a baby and lived with his grandmother up to the age of eight, when he was sent to live as a house servant, a field hand and then a ship caulker. He escaped to New York in 1838 and seven years later published Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an autobiography of his life as a slave, which became an instant bestseller.

Douglass rose to fame as a powerful orator and spent the rest of his life campaigning for equality. He became a national leader of the abolitionist movement, a consultant to Abraham Lincoln in the civil rights movement and a passionate supporter of the women’s rights movement. He died in 1895.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1811, the seventh child of a well-known Congregational minister, Lyman Beecher. The family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she met and married Calvin Stowe, a professor of theology, in 1836.

Living just across the Ohio River from the slave-holding state of Kentucky, and becoming aware of the plight of escaping slaves, led her to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in book form in 1842. She wrote the novel amidst the difficulties of bringing up a large family of six children.

The runaway success of Uncle Tom’s Cabin made its author a well-known publish figure. Stowe died in 1896.

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth (c.1797 - 1883) was born into slavery in New York State. In 1826, she escaped with her young daughter, leaving two of her other children behind. When her son was later illegally sold to a slave owner in Alabama she sued for his return, becoming one of the first black women to successfully challenge a white man in an American court. She spent the rest of her life campaigning for abolition, equal rights and universal suffrage, and found fame as a reformer and public speaker. Her memoir, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, is published in Penguin Classics.

This item is delivered digitally

Reviews

Be the first to review Living to Tell the Horrid Tales: True Life Stories of Fomer Slaves.