Josiah Henson (1789-1883)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord.
Ps 121:1-2
Back: Josiah Henson was born into slavery in Charles County, Maryland. As a boy, he witnessed the unspeakably cruel punishment of his father and was eventually separated from his entire family, except for his mother. Sold three times as a young man, Henson became a trusted, valued worker and overseer on the plantation, as well as a Methodist minister. When he was to be sold yet again, he managed to escape to Canada with his wife and four children. There he helped establish a self-sufficient Black community and trade school for other escaped slaves. He also worked with the Underground Railroad and traveled widely as a public speaker for the abolitionists. His autobiography inspired author Harriet Beecher Stowe in her development of the title character for "Uncle Tom's Cabin".
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