Craft, a fairskinned woman, posed as a white plantation owner while her husband posed as her servant during a risky journey from georgia to philadelphia in 1848. The story of the crafts is one of those great stories that has unfortunately slipped between the cracks of africanamerican history over. John inscoe of the new georgia encyclopedia and dr. Their daring escape was widely publicized, making them among the most famous of. William 18241900 and ellen craft 18261891 were born enslaved in georgia. The escape of william and ellen craft from slavery athens. Inventory of the craft and crum families, 1780 2007. The story of ellen and william craft is one of those stories. Dear father of melissa david moss, kelly, kimberly sean ruiz, william, and bradley. William and ellen craft s selfliberation is one of the most remarkable escapes ever recorded in a historic slave narrative. Ellen was the daughter of her white master and an africanamerican woman. Ellen craft, the slave who posed as a master and made.
The lives of ellen and william craft are celebrated on this date. Today, we have the story of this couples incredible escape from slavery, the abolitionist pastor theodore parker who married the crafts, and their founding of the woodville cooperative farm school. The daughter of an african american woman and her white master, elle. Feb 28, 2020 eventually, william and ellen craft moved to england to avoid bounty hunters who sought to profit by recapturing the pair under the fugitive slave act in 1850. Feb 15, 2019 ellen craft ellen and william craft s escape to europe liverpool port in the 19th century. Ellen and william crafts flight from slavery timeline.
William and ellen craft were born into slavery william was born in macon, georgia to a master who sold off his family to pay his gambling debts. A few days before christmas, 1848, a man named william craft gave his wife ellen a haircutin fact, he cut it to the nape of her neck, far shorter than any other woman in macon, georgia, where. The lightskinned ellen craft escaped from slavery with her husband, william, by posing as a white man and her husbands master, symbolizing how slavery and resistance disrupted the normal social order. Their memoir, running a thousand miles for freedom, was exactly what they did. Ellen and william craft, slaves who escaped to freedom african. Dec 03, 2007 william and ellen craft were born into slavery william was born in macon, georgia to a master who sold off his family to pay his gambling debts. Ellen ann croft ellen ann croft in england births and christenings, 15381975. William craft and ellen craft, author info, published.
William and ellen craft, running a thousand miles for freedom. The pressures forced the duo to make one more daring escape, this time to england. William craft was a skilled cabinetmaker and worked at a shop in georgia where he had apprenticed. Ellen croft was born circa 1849, at birth place, kentucky, to thomas croft and ellen croft. What do you think was the most important reason william and ellen had for fleeing slavery. William and ellen craft are remembered primarily for this gripping narrative of their extraordinary escape from slavery. William and ellen craft were slaves from macon who gained celebrity after a daring, novel, and very public escape in december 1848. Unwilling to raise children in slavery, in december 1848 they devised a plan to escape to philadephia, pennsylvania. William was a slave in macon, georgia who also worked on the side as a carpenter, though the majority of his wages were stolen by his slaveholder. The william and ellen craft story thomas jeffersons. Ellen craft 18261891 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia, in the united states, who escaped to the. Their maternal ancestors were the fossetts of monticello. Ellen and william craft were married slaves born in georgia during the first half of the 19th century but belonged at first to separate families. The birthdates of both william and ellen are unknown as there were no birth records kept for slaves.
Jul 26, 2018 the famous escape of slaves william and ellen craft in 1848 from macon was an exception to the nearly impossible task of escaping slavery in a deep south state like georgia. In macon, ellen met william craft, an enslaved man, and craftsman. The daring disguise that helped one enslaved couple escape. Ellen worked as a ladies slave, a position that gave her favoritism within the white household where she worked. A married slave couple who escaped the south in the most remarkable way, and ends quite happily. Alloy entertainment and alloy features are moving to produce running a thousand miles for freedom, a feature film based on the book by william and ellen craft first published in. William and ellen craft frederick douglass in britain and. William and ellen craft in cultural memory and provided the introduction for the uga presss edition of running a thousand miles for freedom. One of the most ingenious escapes from slavery was that of a married couple from georgia, ellen and william craft. In a daring journey, she posed as a young male slave owner. Eventually, william and ellen craft moved to england to avoid bounty hunters who sought to profit by recapturing the pair under the fugitive slave act in 1850.
William and ellen craft met and married in georgia. William bill craft, age 59 of melvindale, formerly of wyandotte, passed away january 24th, 2019. The more you learn about it, the more incredible the story becomes. While emancipation brought the end of slavery in america, do you think that africanamericans like the crafts still experienced. Ellen crafts race was classified as quadroon, referring to one quarter african descent and threequarters european ancestry. Media in category ellen and william craft the following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. The escape of william and ellen craft from slavery.
Under these circumstances, it is the almost unanimous opinion of their best friends, that they should quit america as speedily as possible, and seek an asylum in england. In 1848 william and ellen craft blurred the lines of race and gender in order to escape slavery. Why do you think this would have upset the white community so much. Ellen craft 18261891 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia in the united states who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. On november 7, the reverend theodore parker performs a wedding ceremony for the craft s. Once they were married, both william and ellen knew that their union was not. William craft university of north carolina at chapel hill. They wanted to marry, but ellen did not want to bear any children as long as they would also be enslaved at birth, and could be separated as she was from her mother. Ellen craft disguised the lives of ellen and william craft are celebrated on this date. Ellen smith is born in clinton, ga the birthdates of both william and ellen are unknown as there. The daring disguise that helped one enslaved couple escape to. Was there an underground railroad movement in macon, ga.
Barbara mccaskill is a professor of english and codirector of the civil rights digital library at the university of georgia. Ellen and william craft were married slaves, but before they met, they came from different situations. They were able to make the sailing across the atlantic with aid from abolitionists, and settled in liverpool. They were two black abolitionists who were known for williams autobiographical slave narrative. January 12, 1849 william wells brown writes to garrison, telling of the escape of the crafts, ellen, 22, william, 24 years of age.
The daughter of an african american woman and her white master, ellen looked white and was able to dress as a southern slaveholder in trousers, top hat, and short hair to avoid detection by slavecatchers. Ellen crafts mother was an enslaved woman of african descent and some european ancestry, maria, in clinton, georgia. The william and ellen craft story thomas jeffersons monticello. Sisters virginia craft rose and ellen craft dammond had remarkable ancestors on both sides of their family. By december, the craft s had mad their way to liverpool, england. Ellen croft historical records and family trees myheritage. Ellen craft 18261897 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia in the united states who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. Ellen was the daughter of a white slaveholding father and slave mother. The great escape from slavery of ellen and william craft.
Their daring escape was widely publicized, making them. Ellen craft s race was classified as quadroon, referring to one quarter african descent and threequarters european ancestry. Ellen and william crafts ingenious escape to freedom. The escape of william and ellen craft from slavery brown thrasher books by william craft and barbara mccaskill apr 1, 1999 4. Mccaskill talks about the significance of ellen crafts passing as a white male. She is the author of love, liberation, and escaping slavery. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple faq for additional information. Ellen and william craft, the most daring slave escape in. The granger collection, new york ellen craft was the. Their paternal ancestors were william and ellen craft, an enslaved couple from macon, georgia, who made a daring escape to freedom in 1848. Proud grandfather of john, isaac, sadie, and baby ruiz. The great escape from slavery of ellen and william craft history.
Born in clinton, georgia, in 1826, ellens light skin would later serve as the crux of her husbands escape plot. Barbara mccaskill, william and ellen crafts daring escape from slavery involved ellen craft posing as a white slaveholder with her light skin and william posing as her body servant. William craft 1824 1900 and ellen craft 1826 1891 were slaves from macon, georgia in the united states who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. Craft stands out as a determined and resourceful woman. They are now hid away, within 22 read more william and ellen craft escape. Upon marriage in 1846, william and ellen craft began to search for a way to escape to the north. William and ellen crafts selfliberation is one of the most remarkable escapes ever recorded in a historic slave narrative. Ellen, a quadroon with very fair skin, disguised herself as a young white cotton planter traveling with his slave william. Ellen craft 1826 1891 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia, in the united states, who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day.
Thats what william and ellen craft gave each other, and celebrated this day in 1848. Smiths wife did not like ellens presence, as she resembled major smiths family. The famous escape of slaves william and ellen craft in 1848 from macon was an exception to the nearly impossible task of escaping slavery in a deep south state like georgia. Because she took after her father in appearance, she could pass for white. I have just modified 2 external links on ellen and william craft. Ellen craft was the child of a slave owner and his biracial slave. Mar 04, 2016 alloy entertainment and alloy features are moving to produce running a thousand miles for freedom, a feature film based on the book by william and ellen craft first published in 1860 that tells the. Ellen craft, the slave who posed as a master and made herself. William and ellen craft in cultural memory is a valuable addition to this growing body of african american biography.
Once they were married, both william and ellen knew that their union was not recognised by the eyes of the law, and they were susceptible to be sold and separated at any time. Using a range of sources mccaskill peels back the layers of sensationalism that surrounded the crafts public personae to reveal the contradictions and complexities. Anonymous, ellen craft the fugitive slave 1860, frontispiece of running a thousand miles for freedom, by william craft. Williams new owner apprenticed him as a carpenter in order to earn money from his labor. Ellen craft was a women who escaped from slavery posed as a white master to her husband william craft. William and ellen craft frederick douglass in britain. Big beach sets autobiographical feature miles deadline. Stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. Georgia stories the story of william and ellen craft pbs. Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. A few people, such as ellen and william craft, used the same trick to escape the south and win their freedom.
Ellen and william craft and two of their children moved back to the united states, purchasing some land near savannah, georgia, and opening a school for black youth. Share this video on twitter copy a link to this video to your clipboard. Used railroad and steamboats to get from macon, ga. In england, their freedom was more secure, and prominent. Ellen was born in 1826 in clinton, ga, to a biracial slave woman and her whiteamerican master, and was so lightskinned that she was often mistaken for a member of her fathers family. She passed as a white male planter and he as her personal servant. Ellen was the daughter of a mulatto slave and a plantation.
The crafts were slaves in macon who devised a daring and dangerous plan of escape. Published in 1860 in england, running a thousand miles for freedom was an immediate bestseller, going through two editions in two years. William craft 18241900 and ellen smith craft 18261891 were slaves who met and married on a plantation in macon, georgia. William and ellen crafts daring escape from slavery is a tale that could one day be retold by a major movie studio. His parents and brother had met the same fate and were scattered throughout the south.
They were two black abolitionists who were known for williams autobiographical slave narrative describing the couples dramatic escape from slavery. Apr 17, 2018 barbara mccaskill is a professor of english and codirector of the civil rights digital library at the university of georgia. Ellen and william crafts flight from slavery timeline created by franklin8310. She posed as a white male planter and he as her personal servant. Ellen craft died in 1891 and william died nine years later. Her father was the enslaver of her mother, major james smith. William 18241900 and ellen craft 18261891 were born into slavery in georgia. The great escape from slavery of ellen and william craft passing as a white man traveling with his servant, two slaves fled their masters in a thrilling tale of deception and intrigue. Unfortunately, almost 170 years later, william and ellen craft arent well known anymore. She was the daughter of a biracial slave and her white master, major james smith, and was eventually given to the masters daughter to rid her from the household and her half siblings. Minutes before being sold, william had witnessed the sale of his frightened, tearful 14yearold sister.
Did ellen craft and william craft have children answers. In january 1849, fugitive slave couple william and ellen craft arrived in boston after traveling over miles from captivity in macon, georgia. William craft and ellen craft, author info, published books. William and ellen craft frederick douglass in britain and ireland. Barbara mccaskill, love, liberation, and escaping slavery. Ellen and william craft, slaves who escaped to freedom. William dodges their watchful eyes and bostonians warn the slave catchers from the city before they are hurt. Their daring escape was widely publicized, making them among the most famous of fugitive slaves. Ellen craft 18261891 and william craft september 25, 1824 january 29, 1900 were slaves from macon, georgia, in the united states, who escaped to the north in december 1848 by traveling openly by train and steamboat, arriving in philadelphia on christmas day. Born in clinton, georgia, in 1826, ellens light skin would later serve as the crux.