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....

The autobiography of Booker T. Washington, a remarkable orator and former slave who pressed for equality and black community.

This definitive biography tells the story of the former slave Olaudah Equiano (1745?—1797), who in his day was the English-speaking world's most renowned person of African descent. Equiano's greatest legacy is his classic 1789 autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself. A key document of the early movement to ban the slave trade, as well as the fundamental text in the...

"A revelatory account of the actions taken by the first president to retain his slaves in spite of Northern laws profiles one of the slaves, Ona Judge, describing the intense manhunt that ensued when she ran away."--NoveList.

Presents the life of a California ex-slave, nurse, and midwife, who started many philanthropic projects.

Introduces the life and accomplishments of the first-ever African-American poet to have her works published, Phillis Wheatley. Crafted with a wealth of detail and rich illustrations, each biography in this appealing collection offers 32 pages that entice readers to discover the remarkable people who built our great nation. The primary narrative focuses on the childhood, education, motivations, and achievements of a key American figure, while special...

The newly discovered slave narratives of John Washington and Wallace Turnage-and their harrowing and empowering journey to emancipation. Slave narratives, among the most powerful records of our past, are extremely rare, with only fifty-five surviving post-Civil War. This book is a major new addition to this imperative part of American history-the firsthand accounts of two slaves, John Washington and Wallace Turnage, who through a combination of...

The true story of a fugitive slave's escape to freedom.

A biography of an African girl brought to New England as a slave in 1761 who became famous on both sides of the Atlantic as the first Black poet in America.

A biography of the Underground Railroad conductor depicts her early life as a slave, her dedication to helping others escape from slavery, and her life after the Civil War.