The heroic slave
Contributors: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: Academic Affairs Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Fiction; African Americans; Slaves; Fugitive slaves; Slavery; Slave insurrections; Mutiny; Creole (Brig)
Other titles: Autographs for freedom.; North American slave narratives.
Description: This fictionalized account of major events in the life of Madison Washington, a slave from Virginia, is told as a series of episodes in which Madison Washington meets with a fictional narrator "Mr. Listwell," who first becomes converted to the abolitionist cause by hearing Washington speak, later helps him to escape to Canada, and finally meets him again as he is boarding the ship "Creole" as a slave again, and provides him with 3 files to saw off his chains. Little is known of the real Madison Washington except that he managed to escape to Canada but could not rest there with thoughts of his wife as a slave. Returning to Virginia to rescue her, he tried to make contact with her but they were discovered and soon recaptured. In Douglass' story she was killed but in other accounts she reappeared on the slave ship "Creole" and was eventually reunited with Washington on the ship.  On Nov. 7, 1841 he led a slave revolt on the "Creole," took over as its captain, sailed to British waters and landed at Nassau where all the slaves were eventually freed.
Notes: Title from electronic caption title (viewed Januaary 22, 2004)

Louisiana State University provided the text for the electronic publication of this title.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digitization project's database, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection North American slave narratives.

Text transcribed by Apex Data Services, Inc.  Images scanned by Elizabeth S. Wright. Text encoded by Apex Data Services, Inc. and Elizabeth S. Wright.

Text (HTML and SGML) and images (JPEG)

Transcribed from: The heroic slave. Originally published in Autographs for freedom, edited by Julia Griffiths. Boston : John P. Jewett and Co., 1853. p. 174-239. Page 239 has facsimile of the signature of Frederick Douglass.

Funding from the Academic Affairs Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.

Mode of access: Internet World Wide Web.

System requirements: PC with modem or direct Internet connection; SGML viewer required for SGML files.