Ants enslaved by other ant species rebel against their masters by neglecting the work they’re assigned to do, and even killing the master species’ young. The slaves may not be able to save themselves, but by rebelling they can protect nearby relatives from the same fate.
A former Spanish slave named Yanga, led a group…
A former Spanish slave named Yanga, led a group of slaves into the highlands in what is now Mexico and continuously fought of the Spanish for more than 30 years until they came to an agreement to establish the first true free town in the Americas in 1618.
A community of ex-slaves spoke their native language and carried…
A community of ex-slaves spoke their native language and carried on their tribal customs and traditions into the 1950s in Alabama.
In 1849, Henry “Box” Brown, a 33 year-old slave born in slavery, mailed…
In 1849, Henry “Box” Brown, a 33 year-old slave born in slavery, mailed himself to freedom in a 3’x2’x2’8″ (91x61x81cm) wooden crate. To get a day off, he burned his hand to the bone with sulfuric acid. Brown paid 86$ to be shipped from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia in 27 hours.
Richard Johnson, the 9th Vice-President of the USA, literally owned…
Richard Johnson, the 9th Vice-President of the USA, literally owned his wife. Slave Julia Chinn was 1/8ths African and was inherited by Johnson after his father’s death. Interracial marriage was illegal, so Johnson kept her as his “slave.”
In 1681, a white woman married an African slave in colonial Maryland, even…
In 1681, a white woman married an African slave in colonial Maryland, even though she knew that doing so would condemn her to a life of slavery.
Harriet Tubman threatened death to escaping slaves if they wanted to turn back…
Harriet Tubman threatened death to escaping slaves if they wanted to turn back. “If he was weak enough to give out, he’d be weak enough to betray us all, and all who had helped us; and do you think I’d let so many die just for one coward man.”
When Samuel Adams received a female slave as a wedding gift…
When Samuel Adams received a female slave as a wedding gift, he insisted that “a slave can not live in my house; if she comes she must be free.” He was able to free her after years of writing emancipation papers, and treated her as an equal family member throughout that time.