Aspects of Slavery and Freedom Seeking in North Carolina Main Menu Creative Commons License Preface and Acknowledgements ArcOnline Maps and ArcStory Maps Additional Project Components Introduction Earth Wood Fire Water Wind Escaping Network to Freedom Underground Railroad Locations Maps and Additional Resources Resources Brian Robinson 351175f8b63e375b96b75c26edde5534c94e8162 Torren Gatson 9cd3f098d43ed240801c35d1d0fd0737b5602944 Rhonda Jones 4c7a2610c10c17f5b487bcebc8abbbf64c221aa6 Arwin Smallwood 329b2d587e93ceaac77a3b3e316b5ce377128ac0 Self-Publish
The Fugitive's Wife
1 2022-02-14T14:53:08+00:00 Brian Robinson 351175f8b63e375b96b75c26edde5534c94e8162 3 3 It was my sad and weary lot To toil in slavery; But one thing cheered my lowly cot — My husband was with me. One evening, as our children played Around our cabin door, I noticed on his brow a shade I'd never seen before; And in his eyes a gloomy night Of anguish and despair; — I gazed upon their troubled light, To read the meaning there. He strained me to his heaving heart — My own beat wild with fear; I knew not, but I sadly felt There might be evil near. He vainly strove to cast aside The tears that fell like rain: — Too frail, indeed, is manly pride, To strive with grief and pain. Again he clasped me to his breast, And said that we must part: I tried to speak — but, oh! it seemed An arrow reached my heart. " Bear not, " I cried, " unto your grave, The yoke you've borne from birth; No longer live a helpless slave, The meanest thing on earth! " meta 2022-02-14T14:58:04+00:00 From Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects (Merrihew & Thompson, 1857) by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. This poem is in the public domain. Brian Robinson 351175f8b63e375b96b75c26edde5534c94e8162Media
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Version 3
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| title | dcterms:title | The Fugitive's Wife |
| description | dcterms:description | It was my sad and weary lot To toil in slavery; But one thing cheered my lowly cot — My husband was with me. One evening, as our children played Around our cabin door, I noticed on his brow a shade I'd never seen before; And in his eyes a gloomy night Of anguish and despair; — I gazed upon their troubled light, To read the meaning there. He strained me to his heaving heart — My own beat wild with fear; I knew not, but I sadly felt There might be evil near. He vainly strove to cast aside The tears that fell like rain: — Too frail, indeed, is manly pride, To strive with grief and pain. Again he clasped me to his breast, And said that we must part: I tried to speak — but, oh! it seemed An arrow reached my heart. " Bear not, " I cried, " unto your grave, The yoke you've borne from birth; No longer live a helpless slave, The meanest thing on earth! " |
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| source | dcterms:source | From Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects (Merrihew & Thompson, 1857) by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. This poem is in the public domain. |
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Running away was a common aspect of slavery. Some enslaved persons were bolder than others in their acts of running away. Some ran away not merely for days but sometimes for weeks, months, and years. Some boldly returned and left again. For instance, “Mrs. E.C. Alexander of Southwestern Burke County” noted, “the servants will not obey me. John ran away six weeks since. Last week he returned and said he intends to leave again whenever he pleases.”The desire to throw off the shackles of slavery was born in terms of feelings; as James Curry noted, “from my childhood, the desire for freedom reigned predominant in my breast.” As long as the escape had the potential of gaining freedom or advantages for the enslaved, the enslaved people took the risk.
There was no place in North Carolina where slaves were held captive and did not account for a runaway. This is even true for the barrier island, where slaves were few, such as Ocracoke. Learn more HERE and HERE
It is impossible to know how many freedom seekers fled from North Carolina, but we have accounts of some who made it. For instance, Thomas Hedgebth and a Mr. J, who fled North Carolina and settled in London, became drug store owners and possessed “considerable property.” In addition, we have short accounts from William Still’s Underground Railroad, and luckily, autobiographical accounts exist.
