Captain Delano: The African American Slave

You and I were born in two entirely different parts of the world. It is my duty, as a former slave, to inform you to the best of my ability, which I promise is not inferior to the ability of a white man, to teach you the likeness of living complete servitude for a fellow human. I can not expect you to understand the life colored people are expected to live. What you don’t understand, Captain Delano, it that the African American race includes real people who deserve the same natural born rights or the same rights given to any human at birth. I have been torn from my family more than once which weighed heavy on my heart. Under the circumstances I had no choice but to revolt on the great Creole ship. After reading this I hope you have a better

Imagine this if you can Captain; being a slave was so awful it made me ponder if life was worth anything at all. I am a man with my own dreams and desires but yet I was subjected to bow down to my master or otherwise expect his physical blows. Thousands of colored men, women, and children were sold and separated. When I was a slave, I chose to run away to Canada where colored people were protected with the same rights as every other man. Unfortunately, in my journey I came to a standstill where due to the piercing cold and darkness, I was compelled to knock on the nearest door. Unknowingly but luckily, the house’s owner had heard me speak of my transgressions in the woods. Before entering the welcoming couple’s home, I recognized myself as a fugitive slave to not put them in harm’s way. They listened and grieved over my personal stories until morning came. Mr. Listwell gave me a winter coat, filled my purse with change, and gathered me a buggy to continue the journey to Cleveland where I would step on the ship to

However, despite the color of my skin, I am a man of virtue. Consequently, I risked the restraints of slavery to save my enslaved wife. In the process of running away we were gunned down by men with dogs chasing us through the woods like wild animals. The hunters found me standing guard over my wife’s lifeless body when I was captured and forced back into slavery. You of all people know what is like to lose someone so close to you such as the brother you lost to the sea. That is the just of my fugitive slave history but I would like to address what you personally experienced on the San