In the book, Augustus Townsend was the most dignified man. He was the moral example who constantly showed right from wrong. Growing up a slave to William Robbins, he always saved up money to buy his family towards freedom. When he finally made enough money, he was only able to buy out himself and his wife, Mildred, leaving his son, Henry. Still, he worked for more years as a free man to eventually buy his son back from Robbins. This showed how Augustus's volitions were through love because freeing his son was very important to him. Moreover, Augustus knew that his soul would not be at peace unless everything that made him a person was with him, his family. Augustus also had two stand ups where he used his moral principles to do what was right. The first was when he was riding back to his house at night. He was stopped by …show more content…
Travis asked Augustus for his free slave papers, and then ate them. Without his free papers, Travis sold Augustus to a slave owner named Darcy, "'A nigger’s for sale if I say he’s for sale, and this one’s for sale.' 'Mister,' Augustus said to Darcy, 'I am a free man and been that way for a lotta years. Freed from Mr. William Robbins'" (Jones 214). Before being sold off to another white man, Augustus tried to tell them he was a free through the law, and that what they were doing was illegal. Still, Travis and Peoples felt that black people had no power, or rights, and disregarded everything he had to say. Augustus also knew if he kept arguing, he most likely would have been shot. Augustus's second stand up came when Darcy sold him to a white man named Hillard. Hillard told Augustus that he had wanted no trouble from him, and that he was to support his family, but Augustus replied "'I done all the work I supposed to do'... 'I know family. I know all about family.