The History Of Mary Prince

Prince — a slave in the British colonies — vividly recalls her life in the West Indies, her rebellion against physical and psychological degradation, and her eventual escape in 1828 in England.

Six narrations by slave women about their lives during and after their years in bondage, honoring the nobility and strength of African-American women of that era.

The History of Mary Prince (1831) was the first narrative of a black woman to be published in Britain. It describes Prince's sufferings as a slave in Bermuda, Turks Island and Antigua, and her eventual arrival in London with her brutal owner Mr Wood in 1828. Prince escaped from him and sought assistance from the Anti-Slavery Society, where she dictated her remarkable story to Susanna Strickland (later Moodie). A moving and graphic document, The History drew attention to the continuation of slavery in the Caribbean, despite an 1807 Act of Parliament officially ending the slave trade. It inspired two libel actions and ran into three editions in the year of its publication. This powerful rallying cry for emancipation remains an extraordinary testament to Prince's ill-treatment, suffering and survival.

Straightforward, yet often poetic, accounts of the battle for freedom, these memoirs by three courageous black women vividly chronicle their struggles in the bonds of slavery, their rebellion against injustice, and their determination to attain equality.

“The History of Mary Prince - A West Indian Slave” is a 1831 autobiography of Mary Prince (1788–1833), a British abolitionist and autobiographer. Born in Bermuda to a family of African slaves, she managed to escape to London where she wrote this book. The first account of a black woman's life published in Great Britain, “The History of Mary Prince” was highly controversial in a time of growing anti-slavery agitation. The book touched many people and was hugely popular, selling out thee printings. Contents include: “The History Of Mary Prince, A West Indian Slave”, “History Of Mary Prince, By The Editor”, and “Narrative Of Louis Asa-Asa, A Captured African”.

The History of Mary Prince caused a stir as the first account published in Great Britain of a black woman's life at a time when anti-slavery agitation was growing. Her first person account touched many people and had an immediate effect on public opinion regarding the anti-slavery movement. When the book was published, slavery was no longer recognised as legal in Britain, but Parliament had not yet abolished it in its colonies like Bermuda and the British Caribbean. The book also generated a lot of controversy in its days and was seen as a misleading propaganda by the West Indian supporters of slavery. Excerpt: "I was born at Brackish-Pond, in Bermuda, on a farm belonging to Mr. Charles Myners. My mother was a household slave; and my father, whose name was Prince, was a sawyer belonging to Mr. Trimmingham, a ship-builder at Crow-Lane. When I was an infant, old Mr. Myners died, and there was a division of the slaves and other property among the family. I was bought along with my mother by old Captain Darrel, and given to his grandchild, little Miss Betsey Williams." Mary Prince (1788–1833) was born in Devonshire Parish, Bermuda, to an enslaved family of African descent who travelled to London with her master from Antigua where she narrated her life story to Thomas Pringle, the founder of Anti-Slavery society in Britain.

“Three-Fingered Jack,” the protagonist of this 1800 novel, is based on the escaped slave and Jamaican folk hero Jack Mansong, who was believed to have gained his strength from the Afro-Caribbean religion of obeah, or “obi.” His story, told in an inventive mix of styles, is a rousing and sympathetic account of an individual’s attempt to combat slavery while defending family honour. Historically significant for its portrayal of a slave rebellion and of the practice of obeah, Obi is also a fast-paced and lively novel, blending religion, politics, and romance. This Broadview edition includes a critical introduction and a selection of contemporary documents, including historical and literary treatments of obeah and accounts of an eighteenth-century slave rebellion.