Monday, February 04, 2008
Amos Fortune: Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates
I found this one to be a rather unusual slave story. It's the true tale of Amos Fortune, a chieftain's son who was captured and enslaved around 1725 and brought to New England, where he eventually purchased his freedom. One thing that's unusual is that it's set in New England. I'm used to the American myth that Massachusetts is the bastion of liberty, where everyone is a born abolitionist. In the early 18th Century, that wasn't the case. Another unusual twist is that the story is rather lacking in passion. While Mr. Fortune desires freedom, he's portrayed as living a quiet and humble life as a slave, methodically working to amass the money needed to purchase his liberty. He takes the racism in his society in stride, always taking the high road. Of course, this was written in 1950's, back when everybody was supposed to shut up and get with the program. Especially if your skin is dark. But despite being too soft on slavery, it's an interesting look at a noble and admirable man.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
I found this one to be a rather unusual slave story. It's the true tale of Amos Fortune, a chieftain's son who was captured and enslaved around 1725 and brought to New England, where he eventually purchased his freedom. One thing that's unusual is that it's set in New England. I'm used to the American myth that Massachusetts is the bastion of liberty, where everyone is a born abolitionist. In the early 18th Century, that wasn't the case. Another unusual twist is that the story is rather lacking in passion. While Mr. Fortune desires freedom, he's portrayed as living a quiet and humble life as a slave, methodically working to amass the money needed to purchase his liberty. He takes the racism in his society in stride, always taking the high road. Of course, this was written in 1950's, back when everybody was supposed to shut up and get with the program. Especially if your skin is dark. But despite being too soft on slavery, it's an interesting look at a noble and admirable man.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
// posted by John @ 9:16 PM 
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