Josiah Henson (1789-1883) was a freedom seeker, preacher, and a leading voice of the antislavery movement. Born into slavery in Maryland, Henson escaped to Canada during the 1830s, served in Britain’s Black militia, and published his autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson (1849). Henson’s life story may have partially inspired the character of Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s best-selling antislavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852). Henson died in Ontario, Canada in 1883.
ESSAYS: Barker // Crew // LaRoche
ROLES: Abolitionist // Freedom Seeker