WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
Narrative of Henry Box Brown / Who Escaped from Slavery Enclosed in a Box 3 Feet Long and 2 Wide cover

Narrative of Henry Box Brown / Who Escaped from Slavery Enclosed in a Box 3 Feet Long and 2 Wide

Open in WeRead

About This Book

A first-person account recounts life under enslavement, family separations, and the planning and execution of a daring self-liberation by enclosing himself in a small wooden box for transport to freedom. The narrative details the physical deprivation and terror of confinement, the logistical help that made the escape possible, and the emotional aftermath of arriving free. It combines personal reminiscence of early hardships with reflections on faith, gratitude, and moral arguments against the institution, and closes with appeals to readers to recognize the human cost of bondage and the need for remedies to end it.

About the Author

Brown, Henry Box portrait

Henry Box Brown

Henry Box Brown was an African American abolitionist and former enslaved person, best known for his remarkable escape from slavery in 1849. He famously shipped himself in a wooden box from Virginia to Pennsylvania, a journey that took 27 hours. Brown's harrowing experience is detailed in his autobiographical work, "Narrative of Henry Box Brown / Who Escaped from Slavery Enclosed in a Box 3 Feet Long and 2 Wide," which not only recounts his escape but also serves as a powerful testament to the horrors of slavery. After gaining his freedom, he became an outspoken advocate for abolition and civil rights, using his story to inspire others in the fight against slavery.

You May Also Like