From Obscurity to Fame
By Amy Butler Greenfield

There were many slaves in Colonial America who not only won their freedom but also gained fame.

Bannaka

In the 1690s, a Maryland tobacco farmer named Molly Welsh bought two slaves from a ship in the Chesapeake Bay. One was Bannaka (also spelled Bannke or Banneky). Bannaka's intelligence and dignity deeply impressed Welsh.

A few years later, Welsh freed both slaves and married Bannaka. Although it was illegal for African Americans and whites to intermarry, they managed to remain together until his death. The renowned astronomer and mathematician Benjamin Banneker was their grandchild.

Learn More about Molly Welsh and Bannaka:

• http://www.enetis.net/~surveyor/nshof/banneker.html

Olaudah Equiano was born in Benin, Africa, in 1745. At age eleven, he was kidnapped, taken to Virginia, and sold to a British sea captain, who renamed him Gustavus Vassa. The captain then sold Equiano, who ended up as a slave to a Quaker merchant in the West Indies. Permitted to trade his own--as well as his master's--merchandise, Equiano had earned enough money to purchase his freedom by 1766.

An excellent navigator and writer, Equiano traveled widely and became a well-known abolitionist. In 1789, he published his autobiography, and it became a bestseller. He died in London in 1797.

Learn more about Olaudah Equiano:

• http://www.wsu.edu:8000/~dee/Equiano.html

Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa around 1753. At age seven, she was sold to Bostonians John and Susannah Wheatley. The couple instructed the young girl in reading, writing, and Christian doctrine. In 1765, her first poem was published. Many others followed, earning Wheatley international regard.

In 1773, Wheatley traveled to England, where a book of her poems was published: the first book ever published by an African-American poet. She appears to have won her freedom that same year at the urging of her English friends. A champion of liberty, Wheatley faced many hardships after her marriage in 1778 and died in poverty in Boston six years later.

Learn more about Phillis Wheatley:

• http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/treasures/american/wheatley.html
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p12.html

Elizabeth Freeman was born a slave in New York in the 1740s. As a girl, she was sold to the Ashley family of Massachusetts, who later became involved in the struggle for independence. A quiet, thoughtful woman, Freeman listened carefully to dinner-table conversations about the Massachusetts' Bill of Rights, which said that all people were born free and equal.

When her mistress attacked her with a hot shovel in 1781, Freeman left the house and sued the Ashleys for her freedom under the Bill of Rights. With the help of a lawyer named Theodore Sedgewick, she won her case and ended slavery in Massachusetts. She died in 1829.

Learn more about Elizabeth Freeman:

• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p39.html
• http://www.berkshire.net/~cosmo/susan/web/freeman/frontpage.html

Amy Butler Greenfield, a freelance writer in the Boston area, earned a master's degree in history at Oxford University.

Points to Ponder and Suggestions for Further Study:

Bannaka

1. Why would interracial (black-and-white) marriages be illegal in the 1690s? List what you think would be the positives and negatives of an interracial marriage in the late 1600s or early 1700s, like the marriage of Molly Welsh and Bannaka. Then, reflect on or research current attitudes toward interracial marriages and discuss changes or lack of changes in those attitudes.



2. Research the life of Benjamin Banneker and detail his contributions to astronomy and mathematics. What effect, if any, did his mixed heritage have on his life?



3. Research the contributions of other African Americans to astronomy and mathematics. Use PowerPointpresentations, posters, or charts and graphs to show the contributions.

Olaudah Equiano

1. Equiano purchased his freedom about ten years before the United States of America fought for her independence. What similar characteristics do Equiano and colonists of the 1770s posses?



2. How did Equiano's life differ from the enslaved or indentured servants in 1766 America? Read or skim either The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, to discover, in more detail, how he managed to purchase his freedom, where he traveled, and how he helped the cause of abolition.
3. Students also have important, sometimes life-changing events occur in their lives. Write a personal memoir retelling an important event and its effect on your life.

Phillis Wheatley

1. Her early poems were elegies for prominent English and colonial leaders, and they were often reprinted in colonial newspapers or as broadsides. Define the word elegy and explain why the colonists would readily accept a young, enslaved female's poetry or elegies.



2. Wheatley's Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral is the first book ever published by an African-American poet, and it became a voice for liberty. Could her book have been published in America? What problems would she have encountered? Who might have supported her writings? Why?



3. Research other African-American poets or writers. What was the prevailing topic of their writings? When and where were these writings (books) published? Is there a pattern to the topic and place of publication? If so, what does the pattern say about those who were willing to listen to the African-American voice?



4. Read some of Wheatley's poems that express a desire for liberty for all. Then, voice your own personal wish or desire in poetry form. You may imitate her style or use your own personal style for this poem. Share your poetry with the class.

Elizabeth Freeman

1. The Massachusetts' Bill of Rights inspired Elizabeth Freeman to sue the Ashleys for her freedom. She won and ended slavery in Massachusetts. What other states had abolished slavery before the Civil War? What new states would not allow slavery upon their admission to the Union?



2. Did working in the big house provide an advantage for slaves over working in the field? What specific advantage did Freeman have? What other jobs for the enslaved might have provided them useful information?



3. The fact that she won her lawsuit in Massachusetts is significant. Could an enslaved person's lawsuit have occurred in other states during this time period? Why or why not? What would be the chances of success for such a lawsuit? What do your responses reveal about regionalism during the 1700s?



4. The Massachusetts' Bill of Rights was a precursor to The Bill of Rights that amended our Federal Constitution and secured certain rights for American citizens. Today, we have many national issues/debates that are directly related to The Bill of Rights. What current law would you like to see revoked, or what bill would you want to become law? Write a persuasive paper that either argues for the creation of a new law (or amendment of a current law) or for a repeal of a law that you believe is not fair.