One of the greatest works of American autobiography, in a definitive Library of America text: Published seven years after his escape from slavery, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" (1845) is a powerful account of the cruelty and oppression of the Maryland plantation culture into which Frederick Douglass was born. It brought him to the forefront of the antislavery movement and drew thousands, black and white, to the cause....

Written more than a century ago by Frederick Douglass, a former slave who went on to become a famous orator, U.S. minister, and a leader of his people, this masterpiece is one of the most eloquent indictments of slavery ever recorded. Douglass's shocking narrative takes the reader into the world of the South's antebellum plantations and reveals the daily terrors he suffered as a slave, shedding invaluable light on one of the most unjust periods in...

Sojourner Truth was born a slave in the late eighteenth century. She was illiterate and poor, but she had an extraordinary intelligence and a powerfully direct approach to life. She is famous as the first black woman to win a lawsuit against a white man in the United States. She played a significant role in the fight against slavery. She was an early and effective supporter of women's suffrage. But those achievements, as important as they are, fail...

"The paths of three young Black women in pre-Civil War Philadelphia unexpectedly-and dangerously-collide in this dramatic debut novel inspired by the explosive history of a city at war with itself. Philadelphia, 1837. When nineteen-year-old Charlotte escaped from the deteriorating White Oaks plantation four years ago, she'd expected freedom to look completely different from her former life as an enslaved housemaid. Instead, she's locked away playing...

Radicals. Agitators. Troublemakers. Liberators. Called many names, the abolitionists tore the nation apart in order to create a more perfect union. Men and women, black and white, Northerners and Southerners, poor and wealthy, these passionate anti-slavery activists fought body and soul in the most important civil rights crusade in American history.

Discover the world of one of America's most celebrated abolitionists, writers, and orators in this inspirational biography of Frederick Douglass. Kids will learn about his life, achievements, and the challenges he faced along the way. The Level 2 text provides accessible, yet wide-ranging, information for independent readers. --Publisher.

A magical look at the historic true tale of slave Henry Box Brown, a man who mailed himself to freedom in a wooden box from a plantation in Richmond, Virginia to freedom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1848. Narrated by **Emmy**-winning and **Academy Award**-nominated actress Alfre Woodard this lightly animated story uses entertaining verse to share Henry’s story. With the help of characters including Bird, Horse, Cricket and Cat, Henry avoids...

The gripping story is told through four generations, from the capture of Kunta Kinte in Africa to his transport to Colonial America in brutal conditions through successive generations fighting to win their freedom in the Civil War.

The Interesting Narration of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African was the first influential slave autobiography. It caused a sensation when published in 1789, fueling a growing anti-slavery movement in the U.S. and England. This BBC production employs dramatic reconstruction, archival material and interviews with scholars such as Stuart Hall and Ian Duffield to provide the social and economic context of the 18th century slave...